Wolves of Uzu
by DuncanIdaho2014
Summary: In the vast Elemental Spiral, the scion of an ancient, forgotten race claims his heritage. Look out galaxy, Uzumaki Naruto is on the prowl. Features psychic powers, 28th century warfare, and steamy love affairs. Warning; bisexual Naruto.
1. Chapter 1

**This started as a fic of my favorite erotic novel Series, but i realised no one would read tHat. So i cHanged some names and made it a Naruto Crossover. So, if you're interested in a Space-wizard sex god Naruto with a bisexual harem on an odyssey through the galaxy, read on. And points To All who recognize the source material.**

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Uzumaki Naruto watched Mizuki like a hawk as the mine owner plugged an auth device into the shipping manifest of Naruto's Freighter, the Fool's Gold. Some might consider this over-the-top, as ownership of the ore Naruto was purchasing could have been handled with a simple ryo transfer. However, Naruto wanted to make sure every part of this deal was above board and, more importantly, officially logged with the Merchant's Guild. That way, even if Mizuki ever found out just how much Naruto was ripping him off, there was no way Naruto would face any repercussions.

It could take a while for the two of them to get confirmation from the Core Worlds, especially so far out on the Rim, so Naruto leaned back in his chair once it became clear the comm had been sent. There wasn't much of a view from Mizuki's office window, but it was still more appealing than Mizuki's ghostly jowls. The Mizuki Mining Compound didn't look much different than any other quarry in the 28th century. Massive trucks hauled tons of rock and metal out of the tunnels while high-powered drills and lasers went in. The sound of the refinery was audible even through the thick glass. Harsh LED lights were spaced across the ceiling, illuminating the dirty, weathered faces of the miners.

Karron wasn't the kind of place Naruto normally visited in his work as a trader. An asteroid in a system with no habitable planets, it was populated almost entirely by independent miners and their families. While technically within Konoha Federation borders and subject to its authority, Naruto had no illusions about what would happen to him if he suffered an 'accident' while visiting the colony. Pirates were also a concern, this far from the standard trade routes and their accompanying patrols. And you never knew when you'd run into an alien that didn't know Galactic Standard and thought mammalian bipeds were the ugliest things in the universe.

All that being said, Naruto had spent a month traveling here from the Core Worlds. And he'd just signed over practically his entire life savings buying the ore Mizuki's workers had uncovered weeks ago and unwittingly spread the word about…

Naruto had been in one of his favorite bars. It had a reputation for open-mindedness, or at least throwing out anyone that caused trouble and selling to anyone who had ryo. As a result, the clientele consisted mainly of eccentric spacers like himself and the various alien species who found themselves in the heart of human civilization. Everything from a silicone-based Iwa to a fungoid Numa could be found that night.

Naruto had been listening to 'Mad' Iruka, a salty old trader who did more aimless exploring of the far reaches of space than anything else. Most found his rambling stories and peculiar habits to be a sign of dementia, whether due to age or too much time spent alone in a metal box while surrounded by the harsh vacuum of space. Naruto personally thought that Iruka just didn't give a crap what anyone thought of him and acted however he damn well pleased. And as one of the few men who didn't glance at his ears (or his crotch) every few minutes, Naruto considered Iruka to be good company.

Anyway, Iruka had been describing in graphic detail the pleasures to be had at this one brothel he'd visited on his last jaunt. Naruto nodded politely as the old geezer waxed poetic about Madame Trixie and the magic hands her 'worm-girls' possessed. 'Worm' was slang for those who lived in asteroid colonies, given they literally lived under a rock and never saw the light of day. Lack of food, gravity, and sunlight led to thin bodies that had albino-pale skin. Apparently, that worked for Iruka, as he wouldn't stop talking about the pleasures to be had from those, quote, 'jezebels'.

Naruto was just thinking of how to gently nudge the conversation away from how Iruka would have enjoyed a lot more than hand stuff if his heart was what it used to be, when Iruka's whole demeanor changed. He went from laughing and bragging to serious, with a sharp gleam in his eye. He leaned forward, and Naruto was so drawn in by the sudden shift he did too, even if it meant smelling Iruka's breath.

"Ya might want to head out towards Karron even if you don't plan on visitin' Madame Trixie, youngster," Iruka whispered, eyeing the nearby patrons with distrust. Given Iruka was Naruto's age before Naruto had even been born, he let the 'youngster' comment slide. "One night I was hangin' out in the parlor and I heard some of them miners come in. They had just gotten drunk after payday and were looking to round out the night with some pleasurable company, ya know how it goes. Anyway, I couldn't help overhearin', they was talking so loud, that they'd just found a whole vein of Tyrenium!"

Naruto's already pointy ears pricked up so hard they could have broken skin. Tyrenium was an exceedingly rare metal, primarily used in military-grade plasma cores. But ever since the invention of the Singularity Driver, the most powerful weapon in the Konoha Federation Navy's arsenal, demand for the silvery ore had gone through the roof. The K-Fed would pay through the nose for every ton they could get. Trade of Tyrenium was normally strictly regulated, but with Naruto's military contacts…

Iruka bared his yellow-brown teeth in what was probably meant to be an indulgent smile. In that moment, Naruto knew that this wasn't some drunken confession. Iruka knew exactly how lucrative Tyrenium was, but didn't have the funds or connections to take advantage of it. And rather than hoard the secret to himself or try to sell it, the old spacer had given it to Naruto scot-free. In that moment, Naruto could have kissed him.

"You let me know how things went in Karron when you get back, youngster. If you see Madame Trixie, give her the good long dickin' I couldn't from me!"

Naruto at least had the decency to finish his drink before he left the bar. With the barely-restrained walk of one whose heart was racing but didn't want to draw any attention, Naruto made it to where his trusty ship, the Fool's Gold, was docked. Once he managed to get his shaking hands to put in the code to open the airlock, he raced to the cockpit. Taking deep breaths as he tried to contain his growing excitement, he looked up Karron on his navigation computer and plotted a course. It would be a little over two months round-trip, a remarkably short time for his life to change forever. Naruto decided that, assuming nothing went wrong, he would always remember Iruka's tip as the best birthday present of his life, even if it was a month late.

*Maybe this is how it starts,* Naruto thought to himself, even as he started gathering every ryo he had or was owed in preparation for this deal. He was in remarkable shape for 40, looking ten years younger and muscled like a statue of Hercules. Still, he wasn't getting any younger. He was in no hurry to claim his heritage, but once he had the resources this Tyrenium would get him…

"Naruto?" called a nasally voice, breaking Naruto out of his memories.

Naruto sat up. "Sorry, I was back near Konoha for a moment. Everything alright?"

Mizuki handed Naruto back the manifest, grinning victoriously. "Just got confirmation from the Merchant's Guild. The Tyrenium's yours!"

The two men shook hands in mutual congratulation, both certain that they were getting the better end of the deal. Naruto felt no guilt whatsoever in taking advantage of Mizuki's ignorance. Two and a half million ryo was a substantial chunk of change, especially in a slum like Karron. Given how few were authorized to buy Tyrenium and how remote the colony was, there was every chance that this ore would have sat collecting dust in storage if Naruto hadn't come along. Still, Naruto hardly expected the man would be so rational if he ever found out that he'd sold the ore at a mere hundredth of what Naruto expected to get for it. Hence his insistence on making sure the trade was legal and recorded.

After sharing a drink of sake to commemorate the trade, Naruto left Mizuki's office and hopped into the truck into which the Tyrenium had already been transferred. It was a rather disheartening journey from the mine to the docks. Hab units reminiscent of post-Industrial shanties clustered around dingy generators supplying the energy for the precious light and air that kept everyone alive. People moved out of the way of the truck, vanishing into the warren of tunnels that had been bored over the decades into the moon-sized rock that was their home. Everyone moved with the tense wariness of prey expecting to be hunted, with mean, pinched faces tight with hunger glaring at any who got too close. What were unmistakably gang members stood at major intersections, openly toting firearms and glaring at the beggars hovering near their 'turf'.

Naruto kept as silent as the truck driver beside him. It wasn't his fault that these people led such miserable lives. And while he might one day be in a position to help them, given his species, that day was a long way off. Still, he refused to look away. It occurred to him that he hadn't gone to see Madame Trixie while he was here. While Iruka had given her and her girls a ringing endorsement, he also had peculiar tastes. Also, between the questionable hygiene of whatever whore serviced him and his sudden lack of funds, it just didn't seem worth the trouble. Maybe next time.

At the docks, it was the work of minutes to get the crates containing his precious cargo into the Fool's Gold. With a respectful nod to Mizuki's employees, Naruto stepped into the ship that had been his home for almost eleven years now, and probably not for much longer. The thought almost gave Naruto pause, but he figured he could get nostalgic once he was safely back in the Core Worlds, filthy rich and able to buy a new ship. After getting clearance from a rather unprofessional flight tech, Naruto gently coasted out of the atmospheric shield and away from Karron. The red light of the Omicron Ceti system's star glinted on the dull metal of the old freighter's hull. Naruto had bought her from a decommissioned lot, and the model had been a century old even before it had been stripped of military parts. It took the mid-tier engines a solid twenty minutes to make it from the asteroid belt on the last orbital path to the Nav Beacon marking the edge of the system's gravity well. Crossing his fingers that this wouldn't be the time the old girl gave up the ghost and exploded, Naruto activated the FTL drive. After a few seconds of shuddering, the ship lurched into hyperwarp.

Naruto let out all the air in his lungs as he sank back into the pilot's chair. It was done. He'd actually pulled it off. Four weeks to make it to Alpha Centauri, maybe an hour-long meeting with an old war buddy, and he'd be a rich man. So why did he still feel so jittery? Writing it off as adrenaline from the deal, Naruto made sure the long-range sensors were on full power and the alarm for contacts live. In a ship with no weapons, the only way to avoid pirates was to see them coming and sneak around them. Naruto made a number of concessions to make sure the energy signature of his ship was negligible. Oxygen was kept only a few points above minimum, lights had to be turned on manually in each room, and the temperature was kept at a brisk 10 degrees Celsius. One of the many reasons Naruto was alone was because he didn't think anyone would agree to living like a mountain hermit the way he did.

Grabbing a couple protein bars from the kitchen in his rec room, Naruto retreated to his cabin. The bed was made so neatly it looked like a robot did it, and every inch of the room was sparkling clean. Naruto recognized the source of this quirk as his instinctive need to establish dominance. In the absence of people, he substituted his environment. Besides, cleaning the ship to hospital standards was a handy way to eat up the hours while traveling through the cosmos. Once he stored the pistol he'd carried for safety's sake in the weapons locker, he hopped into the shower for a quick rinse to get the stink and dust of Karron off him. That done, he grabbed the hanging bar he'd set up in the corner. Warming up with a few standard pull-ups, Naruto started alternating between each arm for ten reps. An hour later, when it felt like his arms were going to fall off, he dropped to the floor and did the same with squats. He wasn't feeling particularly masochistic today, so he didn't make the pistols jumping.

Some might find it ironic that Naruto trained himself harder once he retired from the military than he had when he'd been in it and expected to be in top shape. But then, he hadn't been fully aware of the unique biology he'd inherited from his father until he was thirty and living on the Fool's Gold. Pushing memories of that nightmare and all its life-altering consequences aside, Naruto reminded himself why he did this: if and when his body established a template to keep restoring him to, he wanted to be in peak physical condition. Besides, it made him look better naked.

Once he'd cooled down with some stretches to make sure he could still touch his toes, Naruto took a longer, hotter shower to relax. Scarfing down the bland but nutritious blocks of algae and soy, Naruto slipped under the covers and drifted off to sleep.

Naruto awoke from his dreamless sleep to find a rock-hard surprise under the covers. While he got morning wood like every other man, this kind of aching, 'ready-to-hammer-nails' erection was usually reserved for when he didn't wake up alone. Shaking off the surprise and trying to think through the throbbing lust, he assumed a meditative position. Taking conscious control of his breath, Naruto took ten minutes to enter a state of total relaxation and peace. Looking down to see he was comfortably limp again, Naruto got up and dressed.

The day passed in a comfortable routine of chores, working out, and checking the instruments. Oddly though, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was 'off' somehow. Naruto had spent a decade of his life doing almost the exact same thing every day. He was used to it, but he couldn't really say he enjoyed it. When he sold the Tyrenium, he'd be able to do almost anything he wanted. The sheer number of possibilities boggled his mind, and his conscience struggled over which one he SHOULD take, not just whatever he wanted the most. Before he could get too maudlin, he brought up a hand to feel his pendant. He hadn't taken it off since he bought it a year after learning exactly what he was. He traced the familiar shape with his fingers, reminding himself of what it represented and the promise he'd made to himself. Shaking his head at his random rumination, Naruto finished off his dinner and got ready for bed.

The next morning, he again woke up to his cock standing tall, proud, and desperate to be used.

Naruto frowned, and once he managed to settle down his arousal, he began to think. Naruto didn't believe in coincidences. Never, in all the years he'd lived alone on the Fool's Gold, had he woken up fully hard and raring to go two days in a row. So, what had changed? After a few minutes considering every possibility, he narrowed it down to the two most likely. Either Tyrenium was some kind of aphrodisiac to his race, or… he wasn't alone.

Deciding he'd rather be paranoid and be proven wrong than reckless and taken by surprise, Naruto went to the weapons locker. After the DNA scanner verified it was him, the door unlocked, revealing all the weaponry he had gathered over the years to fend off unfriendly incursions or intimidate strangers in a new area into not messing with him. Selecting an auto shotgun for its close-range and lethality, he loaded in a few shells and activated the scope. The holographic display turned on, casting a cheerful green light into the air above the trigger.

Heading towards the cargo bay, Naruto stood on the gantry overlooking the hold and switched the scope to infrared. He slowly and methodically swept the whole room, but there was nothing but cold blue except where he looked at the lights. Wanting to be sure, he cranked the lights up to max and swept the room again, but nothing seemed amiss. Starting to feel a bit foolish for putting so much stock in his genitals, Naruto turned to leave when he saw it. A scuff mark, on the other side of the door to the Cargo Bay. Naruto had cleaned the hall before he'd landed on Karron, and he'd decontaminated his shoes before he'd left the bay to take off. He had not made that mark, he was sure of it.

Now fully on alert, Naruto methodically checked the ship for the trespasser. It didn't take long, the Freighter being only sixty meters in length. The engine and equipment rooms were locked, and a quick check showed they hadn't been broken into. He'd spent the past two days in his cabin and cockpit, but he swept them just to be sure. The rec room had nowhere to hide, so it warranted no more than a quick look. After a thorough search of the passenger cabin turned up nothing, that left only one room left: the storage room.

The search had given Naruto time to think, and he realized he was probably not dealing with anyone hostile. If his stowaway was going to kill him and steal the ship, they would have done it the first night. And Naruto hadn't noticed any of his provisions missing except those he'd taken for himself, so this tagalong wasn't stealing food. This mystery person or persons were probably runaways, desperate to be anywhere but Karron. And while he could understand that sentiment, he didn't appreciate them sneaking on his ship without permission to do so.

Naruto opened the door to the storage room. He took a moment to just stand there, waiting to see if there was any reaction. When nothing moved, Naruto brought up the auto shotgun and used its scope to scan the room. Every conceivable hiding spot turned up nothing but blue. He was beginning to wonder if he was maybe wrong after all when he aimed at the very back corner of the room. A locker stood there, which he honestly couldn't remember ever using. A bright red marked the edges of the door, the sensors built into the gun too weak to see through the metal. But the air heated up by his stowaway's body was clear.

Naruto suppressed a sigh. "I know you're in there. Come out," he called clearly. He tried not to let any of his irritation color his tone. Since learning how members of his kind usually treated people, Naruto had strived to live by the 'golden rule': treat others the way you want to be treated. It was good advice in general, and needless to say easier said than done, but he tried his best to heed it more than most. After all, most people weren't standing on the slippery slope he was.

He counted to thirty, but his uninvited guest still didn't come out. Either they slept like the dead, or they were hoping he'd just go away if they ignored him. Raising his voice so there was no chance they couldn't hear him, Naruto said "We can do this the easy way or the hard way. And making me do it the hard way is just going to piss me off. Now come out here!"

There was a second's delay, and then the door opened, and the cause of his morning distractions was revealed.

It was probably a male, mid-teens at the oldest by his estimate. The head didn't even come up to Naruto's shoulder. Obviously from Karron, clad in miner's overalls and a bulky jacket, both so encrusted with dirt it was impossible to tell what the original color was supposed to be. They hung loosely on his spindly frame, clearly the result of far too few meals. A dog-eared cap was pulled low over his head, concealing his hair, and scared eyes a striking shade of lavender shined up at him from a face that was so caked with layers of soot and grime it looked like a mask.

Naruto closed his eyes and counted to ten. A kid. Fucking perfect. Flicking the safety to the shotgun, he turned it to the side in a rest position. He wouldn't need a gun to deal with whatever threat this boy presented; he looked like one good punch would knock him down like a house of sticks.

Trying not to scare the youth, who looked ready to crawl back into the locker and stay there until forced out, Naruto introduced himself. "Hi, I'm Uzumaki Naruto. I own this ship. Who are you and why are you here? Please don't lie, that would just waste time."

The boy gulped. If anything, Naruto's politeness seemed to make him even more afraid. "My name's… Hin." The voice was surprisingly high-pitched. Combined with the softness of the features, he was either even younger than Naruto had guessed or a she. Not that it mattered to Naruto Hin's age or sex, just the fact that he was trespassing. The tiny figure looked to the side before meeting Naruto's eyes again. "I would have died if I stayed on Karron."

It wasn't said pleadingly, as if Hin was begging for understanding and mercy. It was toneless, a dull statement of a certain fact. Ironically, that tugged at Naruto's heartstrings even more. Naruto fought down the instinctive urge to nurture and protect this child who had lived far too hard a life. Whether he intended to or not, Hin might have gotten Naruto in serious legal trouble. Transporting a minor out of system came with major penalties, not the least of which the loss of his trading license. Harsh as it sounded, if Naruto had to pick between Hin and the Tyrenium, he'd choose the latter. Besides, Naruto was still smarting slightly from the invasion of his territory.

"You're probably right. But that doesn't justify you sneaking onboard. I don't suppose you stopped to think that illegally transporting a minor can get you twenty years? You could have ruined my life if some patrol wanted to inspect me and found you."

Hin shook his head so fast, his cap almost came off. "No, no, no! I'm not a minor! I turned 18 the day before I snuck on!"

Naruto felt his eyebrow raise and didn't bother to stop it. "You got any proof?"

Hin reached into one of the pockets of the bulky jacket and pulled out a foldout ID that had seen better days. Naruto tried not to grimace at how dirty it was. He took it from Hin and opened it up. Assuming it was real (and Naruto didn't see how Hin could have afforded a convincing fake), then the birthdate listed indeed had Hin at 18 years old before boarding the Fool's Gold. It also revealed something else.

"You always go by Hin, MISS Hyuuga?"

Naruto saw what little skin wasn't caked with filth turn pink as he called out the newly-discovered Hinata on her little deception. "It's safer to be a boy," she said, a tad defensively.

Naruto resisted frowning at the way she said it, as if she'd learned that lesson the hard way. He handed the ID back, resisting the urge to wipe off his hand on his trousers. Knowing she was legal cleared up most of his concerns, but opened up many new ones. He wouldn't get in trouble for traveling with her, but he was going to be putting her at risk if she stayed within reach of him for too long. He didn't feel like opening up the can of worms dealing with THAT issue would entail, so he resolved to take her back.

"Your age isn't the only issue here, Ms. Hyuuga. You broke into my ship. I can sympathize with wanting to leave a hellhole like Karron, but you should have tried to barter passage with me instead of just letting yourself in. I'm going to have to take you back."

He hadn't even finished his sentence when she started begging him. "Please, no! I can't go back to Karron! Please let me stay! I'll work, I'll pay you back, you can drop me off anywhere! Just don't take me back there!"

The tension that had slowly eased from her posture returned with a vengeance. Naruto could almost count her pulse in the throbbing of the veins of her neck. A dark suspicion entered his mind.

"Are you running from the law or something? Cause if you made me an accessory to a crime, I'll space you here and now and save myself the travel time."

She flinched back from him, her eyes going wide. She tried to get some words out, but his threat seemed to have caused her throat to seize. Naruto felt a stinging surge of guilt. Her innocence was practically radiating off her. It wasn't fear of persecution he'd picked up from her. It was simple fear for her life. And that kind of terror couldn't come from a passive fear of starvation or getting caught in a crossfire.

Naruto slowly and deliberately set the shotgun down on the floor. He held his hands up like he was trying to calm a spooked horse. He hunched his shoulders and bent his knees, to make himself seem smaller. "Hinata, I'm sorry. I made an assumption and spoke in anger. I'm not going to space you. I'm not going to hurt you. Please calm down. There's a good girl. Calm, Hinata."

The panicked teenager managed to get her voice back. Or at least a high, squeaky version of her voice. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry I snuck in! I'm sorry but I had to! He would have found me! I had to hide, I had to!"

"It's okay. I'm not mad. I won't take you back, okay? I promise. No matter what happens, I won't take you back to Karron."

Hinata shuddered, all the energy seeming to drain out of her in an instant. Naruto remembered that, as far as he could tell, none of his food was missing. And he had no idea when the girl had last eaten before she came aboard two days ago. She was about to crash after her panic attack.

"Let's get some food in you and we can talk this out. Are you okay with that?"

A pitiful gurgle emanated from her stomach. Her eyes locked on him with a disturbing intensity, and Naruto was suddenly extremely grateful that he'd never gone truly hungry. "Please," she whispered, all of her fear of him displaced by his promise of a meal. Some dark part of him reveled in how vulnerable she was and the power he could exert over her. He viciously suppressed those thoughts as he gently coaxed her out of the storage closet and towards the rec room. Yes, the opportunity was there, but he refused to take it. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if he did.

Putting his need for cleanliness on hold, Naruto sat Hinata down at his dining table. Figuring that she'd need sugar and wouldn't be able to stomach much, he grabbed an apple and some yogurt. She stared at the items in fascination as he placed them in front of her to get a glass of water. When he went to put it down in front of her, she flinched. Not away from him, but towards him. As he pulled his hand away from the food, she relaxed.

Naruto felt his heart break a little. "It's yours, I'm not going to take it away."

She looked at him with a confusing mix of gratitude, apology, and disbelief. Naruto realized with pity that this was probably one of the kindest things anyone had ever done for her in her short life, and she didn't know how to react. "Eat slowly, I don't want you to choke. I'm going to put away the shotgun. When I come back, we'll discuss how we're going to handle our situation. And again, me turning around is not an option. You won't have to go back."

"Thank you," she said in a voice too small to hold so much emotion.

With a pained smile, Naruto turned and left her to her breakfast.

He picked up the weapon from the storage room and returned it to his cabin, making sure to unload the ammo. Putting a little more weight into his steps so she'd hear him coming, Naruto reentered the rec room. Remembering that he hadn't eaten yet either, Naruto grabbed a banana and a bowl of granola. He intentionally left the cupboard open while he gathered the items, so Hinata could see that he was well-stocked. Whether it was to entice or reassure, he couldn't say. Once again trying to reign in his impulses, Naruto sat across from his new traveling companion and began to eat. He noticed that while she was spooning the yogurt at a speed just short of alarming, she'd made no move for the apple.

"You should try the apple too, you need the sugar."

She hesitated, looking at his face in a searching way, before she answered. "I don't know how. I've never had one before."

Naruto cursed himself for an idiot. Of course, Karron wouldn't have anything as sophisticated as hydroponics. Any fruits or vegetables were probably shipped in and sold for a premium compared to other food. "Just take small bites, wide but not deep. Keep doing that in a circle until you reach the seeds."

She took his advice, and the way her face lit up when the juice hit her tongue was one of the most adorable things he'd ever seen. They both focused on eating, and soon all the food had vanished into hungry stomachs. It had been a long time since Naruto had shared a meal with another person, and it surprised him how much he missed the feeling.

Leaving the dirty dishes on the table with an act of will, Naruto stood and held out his hand. "Before we talk, you should get cleaned up. You can shower in the passenger cabin. I'll find you something to wear."

Hinata looked at him like she was waiting for the other shoe to drop. Her hand felt soft but very cold. Naruto realized with a start that the Fool's Gold was chillier than most parts of Karron. She was shivering so much from nerves he hadn't noticed the ones from the cold. He quickly led her to the passenger cabin. "The shower's in that alcove in the corner. Stay as long as you want, the recycling system can keep up. Leave your… clothes on the floor, your new ones will be on the bed when you get out. Find me in the cockpit and we'll discuss your stay here."

She looked like there were a million things she wanted to say, but was still too afraid to say any of them. She finally managed a weak "Okay." Naruto nodded and turned to leave.

The first thing he did was crank up the temperature control by another ten degrees. Next, he cleaned up the refuse left on the dining table, and he managed to restrain the urge to sterilize the chair Hinata had sat in before he moved on. Searching through his closet, he managed to find a t-shirt that had shrunk enough in the wash that Hinata's shoulders wouldn't slide through the neck hole and a pair of compression shorts from back when he had, as his buddies in the marines had claimed, 'chicken legs'. A purely male part of him gloated that they had to resort to name-calling because he left them in the dust in the department that really mattered. Rolling his eyes at his own attitude, he went to the passenger cabin to drop them off for Hinata.

Naruto made it to the bed and halfway back out before he heard them. They were soft and involuntary, purely unconscious uses of the vocal chords. They weren't throaty or drawn out or sexual in any way. But they were clearly a woman's moans of pleasure.

Naruto held himself rigid, knowing that if he didn't maintain absolute control he'd do something he'd very much regret. He'd promised that he wouldn't hurt her. She wasn't trying to tempt him, she was just a girl enjoying a hot shower after who knows how long without one. She was young enough to be his daughter. All good points, but none of which negated the fact that there was a wet, naked female less than five meters away from him.

Naruto felt like there was a war going on between the best and worst parts of himself.

*Don't take advantage. It's not fair. It's not right.*

-This is what you're made for. Why resist your nature?-

*I'm no rapist.*

-Rape? What rape? You've fed and bathed her. She must be so grateful. Get her to cum on your fingers a few times and she'll be begging to return the favor.-

*She doesn't know. She has no idea what she'd be getting into. She'd hate me for forcing it on her without telling her.*

-She'd be nothing but thankful and loving and obedient once you're done with her.-

*I promised I wouldn't be like that. I wouldn't be like them. I'd do it right.*

-Right? Wrong? Who's to say what's right or wrong? All that matters is what you want, what you crave, what you desire. And you desire her.-

*No…*

-Do it!-

*NO!*

Naruto forced his legs to move, propelling him out of the cabin and into the hall. He leaned back against the door as it closed behind him. He felt like he'd just run a marathon, when all he'd done was stand still for a few seconds. As his heart calmed down, the reality of the situation settled into his mind like ferrocrete pouring into a mold. He glanced down at his trousers, seeing the obscene bulge that had yet to go down. "This… is going to be a problem," he muttered to himself.

Naruto shuffled over to the cockpit and sank into his chair. With Karron no longer a possible destination, for reasons that he didn't even know but had already agreed to, the closest place he could drop off Hinata was Port Heracles. But the Konoha space station was almost a month away, and Naruto wasn't sure if his control would last three days after the episode he'd just had. He didn't waste time lambasting himself or agonizing over how unfair the situation was; that wouldn't help him OR Hinata. In the end, it all came down to her choice. And for her to choose, she needed to be aware of all the facts. If she made the informed decision not to accept what he was about to offer, then that would be enough to hold him back. And if she did accept, she'd do it with eyes open. And that would make it okay.

He tried to believe that. He really did.

"Um, Naruto?"

Naruto started, pivoting around in his chair to look back towards the cabins. Hinata was standing timidly at where the cockpit changed to the hall that ran down the spine of the ship. Cleaned up and out of her filthy rags, Naruto could get a clear look at her for the first time. Her hair was blue and hung to her shoulders, but looked brittle enough to snap if Naruto touched it. Her nose and lips were cutely soft, but her cheekbones stuck out sharp as knives. Even in the smallest clothes Naruto owned, she had to clutch at her neck and hip to keep them from falling off. Her skin was so pale it was almost translucent, and Naruto's sharp eyes noted a couple scars on her arms and legs, badges of a harsh life on Karron. Her best feature was definitely her eyes, a rich lilac that reminded Naruto of the sky just before dawn. The fear that had filled them when they first met was gone, replaced by wariness, and what he could only describe as cautious hope.

Naruto had the impression of a wounded little bird, beaten and battered since leaving the nest. With some gentle care and encouragement, she could soar through the sky.

Naruto hated himself a little more for the fact his first instinct was to eat the bird instead of tending to it.

Shaking himself out of his self-loathing, Naruto gestured to the co-pilot seat that had never been sat in. "Sit down. We'll be talking for a while and you should get comfortable."

With hesitant steps on lean runner's legs, Hinata sank into the bolted-down chair. She pulled her feet up off the ground and hugged her knees, making her seem even smaller. She tilted her head and asked, "Is it warmer now or am I still feeling the shower?"

"I raised the temperature control while you were in there. I realized that you probably weren't as used to the cold as I was," Naruto explained, feeling awkward talking about little stuff like this considering the bombshell he was about to drop on her.

She shook her head and looked down. "I feel like I'm dreaming. There's no way anyone can be this NICE. When I snuck on, I was kind of desperate and not thinking about anything except getting away from Karron. But once I felt the ship take off, I started worrying about what you would do if you found me. I figured slave labor until you dropped me off on the nearest place with an atmosphere would be the best I could hope for. Instead you've given me food, a shower, clothes, and now you're changing stuff about your ship for me. I just don't get it."

Naruto swallowed down the knot that was building in his throat. It was painful just to look at her, to hear the honest disbelief at him doing what he considered to be common courtesy. "People are at their worst when they're fighting to survive, and I got the feeling that almost everyone on Karron had to do that. I'm just trying to treat you with the same decency I'd give to anyone else. But for what it's worth, I'm sorry that my behavior is so surprising to you."

She looked at him then, her eyes twitching as she raked his face for any sign of a lie. Naruto wasn't sure what she saw, but it was enough to make her truly relax for the first time since he'd met her. It was remarkable what a difference it made. The changes were subtle, but something about her face and posture shifted so she suddenly seemed much prettier and more approachable. "You're a good man, Naruto."

Naruto had to hide a wince at those words, especially as his cock twitched as he looked at her lips curling into a shy smile. "You really don't know me well enough to say something like that."

"The fact I just met you and I'm so sure should tell you how obvious it is," she countered, her eyes narrowing a little as she tried to puzzle out his refusal to take the compliment.

Naruto cleared his throat. Enough dawdling, time to get to business. "May I ask why you're so opposed to returning to Karron? It won't change my decision, but I have to admit I'm curious."

Her face clouded over. But she set her shoulders and told him the truth. "A member of the Diablo gang tried to rape me. I managed to grab his knife and stab him, but I didn't hurt him enough to kill him. I ran away, but I knew that he'd come after me and finish what he started. A friend was at the docks when you arrived and saw you enter the code to your airlock. She gave it to me and told me to just hide in some dark corner until you landed wherever you were going."

Naruto felt himself frown. "Yeah, I can see why you wouldn't want to go back. Your friend must be pretty observant, I didn't even see anyone watching me."

"She's the smartest person I know," Hinata told him, sounding guarded. Naruto sensed that further inquiries into this 'friend' would not be welcomed. For whatever reason, she seemed to trust him, so it must be habit. Naruto well understood how closely you could bond with someone who watched your back for you. He didn't ask anymore about this mystery girl who helped Hinata sneak onto his ship. He moved on to something even more uncomfortable.

"You have a choice to make, Hinata. The first choice is that you stay in the passenger cabin and basically not get in the way for however long it takes to get to Port Heracles. You'll get three meals a day, and I'll expect you to clean up after yourself. I'll let you have access to my Holonet account to keep yourself occupied, I'm usually busy enough that I don't use it anyway. Once we get there, I'll just drop you off and be on my way. It's not that I don't care; I just won't feel comfortable until this deal is safely over, and I don't want to take any chances. You should be able to find work or barter further passage, and if all else fails you can always enlist."

Hinata nodded. "That all sounds very reasonable. I've heard about Port Heracles, it can't be any tougher than Karron." Her eyebrows knit together in confusion. "What's the second choice?"

Naruto breathed in deep, and took the leap.

"It involves a very long explanation, but the second choice is that you agree to be my Matriarch."

Hinata's brow furrowed in confusion. "Your matriarch? What's that supposed to mean?"

Naruto sighed. "Like I said, it's a long story. I guess I should start with the fact that I'm not a Konoha."

Hinata's eyes shifted to his pointed ears. "I thought you just had surgery or something. If you're an alien, you're very Konoha-shaped." Her eyes lit up. "I've never met a non-human before! What are you and where are you from?" She suddenly winced. "Sorry, that's rude of me. Forget I asked."

"Don't worry about it. I'm going to explain everything, and that's the least I owe you." Naruto's fingers tapped nervously on his chair. He'd never revealed the truth about himself to another living soul since finding out. He had no idea how she was going to react to this information, or if she would even believe him. Naruto had the truth seared into his brain, and he still doubted it at times. "My mother was Konoha, and I was born at Olympus Shipyard. That's actually our destination, if you choose to stay with me. I was raised in the Konoha Federation and was even a marine for a while. I didn't find out what my father was until a decade ago, once I retired and started working as a trader."

"Didn't your mother ever tell you? Or did she not know your father wasn't Konoha?" Hinata asked innocently.

Naruto tried not to frown, a child's pain panging in his heart. "I never actually met my mother. She vanished the day after I was born. There was some accident that killed the crew of her ship at the same time. I tried to find out what happened to her, but it was all above my clearance level and I couldn't find any new leads. Now that I know what my father did to her, my best guess is that she caused the accident as a distraction and stole a ship to go back to him."

Hinata's eyes widened. "That's horrible! What could he have done to make her do something like that? And why didn't she take you with her?"

Naruto scowled. "My father's species… MY species have a very powerful effect on the women they've enthralled. She probably didn't even think about me, her every thought would have been about returning to her 'Master'."

"Enthralled? Master? Naruto, what are you talking about? You're kind of scaring me a little bit," Hinata said, some of her fear returning.

Naruto looked at her with pained eyes. "I don't want to scare you, Hinata. But you probably should be scared of me… considering what I am."

"And what is that? Naruto, what are you?" Hinata demanded, showing some of the backbone that allowed her to survive for 18 years in a place like Karron.

Naruto closed his eyes, gathering his courage. When he opened them, he forced the words out before he could stop himself. "I'm an Uzu."

The air was still, as if the world were holding its breath. Naruto felt the words echoing in his ears. He'd never admitted it out loud before. It made it real to him, somehow confirming the truth that had only ever existed in his head until that moment. He wondered if the old Christians felt like this after confessing their sins.

Hinata tilted her head to the side, eyes cautious, concerned, and confused in almost equal measures. "I hate to spoil the punchline, but I've never heard of the Uzu. You'll have to explain them to me."

Naruto's mouth twitched, the best smile he could manage in the moment. "I'm not surprised. If any of them have ever been in Konoha space before me, it was thousands of years ago. Believe me, it'd be obvious if they'd stuck around. My mom was part of a survey team, exploring deep space. She must have run into my father on her last mission and gotten pregnant with me. For whatever reason, he didn't follow after her. And if we're all lucky, he won't come anywhere near the Galactic League until I'm ready to face him."

Hinata looked at him as if he'd grown an extra eye. "Face him? You make it sound like you two would have to fight to the death if you ever met. And you still haven't explained what Uzu ARE."

"Right, sorry." Naruto tried to order everything he knew about his father's side of the family into a few neat sentences. "Uzu are very old, much older than Konoha. They… WE have technology that makes state-of-the-art Konoha equipment look like a caveman's stone tools. I don't know if it was genetic bingo or if we were made by an even older species as an experiment, but we're pretty much designed to conquer planets, even galaxies."

Hinata's eyes were so wide Naruto saw more white than purple. "What do you mean? How can someone be 'designed' to take over the world?"

Naruto shuddered as he thought about all the power locked dormant inside him. "Uzu are all male, and naturally very possessive, jealous, and dominant. We also have every psychic power I've ever even heard of. I'm talking setting things on fire with my mind, super speed, looking into the future, you name it. We also have a… unique way of building an army built right into our biology. Add it all together, and 'space tyrant' just seems like the logical conclusion."

Hinata frowned, skepticism clear in every line of her face. "I don't suppose you could show me any of these 'psychic' powers, could you?"

Naruto shook his head sadly. "I know this sounds like an excuse, and you probably think I'm crazy. But I promise, everything I'm telling you is the truth. The thing is, a Uzu's powers are locked until they gain their first Matriarch. I guess it was a way of keeping toddlers from killing themselves and others while having a tantrum."

"There's that word again, 'Matriarch'. What does that mean, in Uzu-talk?" Hinata sat in her chair, looking ready to bolt. At least her disbelief had cleared from her face a bit. His vow of honesty seemed to have convinced her he wasn't pulling a trick on her. Whether she really believed he was telling her the truth or he was stark raving mad remained to be seen.

Naruto tensed, knowing he was about to get to the deal-breaking parts of his proposal. "It has to do with that army-building thing I mentioned. Basically, a Matriarch is kind of an Uzu's lieutenant. She's psychically linked to him and all his Thralls, and it's her job to attend to the Thralls and assist the Uzu." Naruto set his shoulders back. "At least, that's what they normally do. But I don't want to be anything like a 'normal' Uzu. In your case, you'd be my partner. I would treat you with the respect you deserve, not as some underling. And I believe in quality over quantity when it comes to Thralls, so it's not like you'd have to keep track of thousands of people. And that's only if you agree to be linked with me in the first place. You can still pick the first choice, once I've explained everything."

Hinata pursed her lips, looking him up and down. A lot of the tension had left her shoulders when he'd made it clear he planned to be a different kind of Uzu. She still looked ready to sprint out of her chair or punch him if he made any sudden moves, though. "Then keep explaining. How do you form this link? And what's a 'Thrall', exactly?"

Naruto hesitated. He couldn't believe the words that he was about to say. "I just want to repeat, this is built into me. I didn't decide how it works. It's weird and embarrassing and even a bit ridiculous. Again, this is all the truth, or at least what I was told. I'm not making this up, I swear."

"Naruto, you're blushing." Hinata leaned forward a little, a distracting amount of skin revealed by the relatively large neck hole of his t-shirt. "What is it? How do you make psychic bonds?"

Naruto deliberately looked away, unable to face her as he revealed the preposterous truth. "Uzu semen is a psychic catalyst. If someone… ingests it, the Uzu can work their powers directly on the person's body and mind. After three, um, 'doses', a link is forged between their minds. It doesn't go away unless either of them dies or the Uzu intentionally severs the bond.

Uzus normally use the bond as a form of mind control, making the new 'Thrall' do whatever they want. A Uzu can also draw psychic energy from their Thralls. The 'normal' way a Uzu does things is to enthrall as many women as possible, using them as soldiers in his wars, psychic batteries to fuel his powers, and breeding stock to make even more Thralls. I've never… fed someone three times before. You'd be my first Thrall, and by default my Matriarch."

Naruto kept silent, waiting for her to digest everything he'd just said. He was prepared for anything. Scorn, derision, outrage, disgust, terror.

He was not prepared, however, to hear her giggle.

He turned to face her, to find her mouth curled shut as she tried to suppress the hiccup-like laughter coming from deep in her chest. She brought up a hand to cover her mouth, muting the sound a bit, and she held up a finger from the other in the universal sign for 'one moment'.

When she recovered, she leaned back, eyes twinkling, and asked "Naruto, has all this been an elaborate way of asking me for a blowjob?"

Naruto chuckled nervously, bringing up a hand to scratch the back of his head. "More or less," he admitted. His face darkened, and he leaned forward and made eye contact, so she could see the sincerity in his eyes. "But it's a blowjob with a whole lot of strings attached. I wasn't kidding about the Uzu stuff. If you agree to this, you won't just be helping me unlock my powers. You'll be giving me a direct feed into your MIND. And I have no intention of abusing it like the assholes that are my forefathers, but the potential is there. I want you to be absolutely sure you're okay with this if you agree."

The amusement faded from Hinata's expression, seeing how serious Naruto was taking this. "I see," she muttered, wrapping her arms around her knees. She blinked. "Wait a minute. How do you know all this stuff? You said you never met either of your parents. Did you meet someone who'd knew about Uzu and recognized you or something?"

Naruto grit his teeth, but he'd promised to tell her everything. "Every Uzu is born with a Guide. It's like an alter ego that has all the ancestral memory and knowledge about his heritage. They're meant to help their Uzu get used to his powers when he 'activates'. If they're all like mine, then they're also sadistic megalomaniacs who don't give a fuck for anyone but themselves. Once a Uzu has learned all he can from his Guide, it fades away and the Uzu is free to start a life of interstellar conquest."

Naruto started rubbing his thighs with his hands, just to give them something to do. He was staring at the floor, lost in memories of his encounter with his inner monster. "Somehow, I accidentally locked my Guide up in a mental prison when I was a teenager. My grandfather started taking me to martial arts lessons to deal with my hormonal mood swings, and something about all the meditation shoved him into a little black box in the back of my head. Once I bought the Fool's Gold and started going weeks with just myself for company, I got back into meditating. One day, I went so deep I wound up inside his prison."

Hinata gulped. She didn't think she'd seen anyone in more emotional pain before. Naruto looked like he was remembering the worst day of his life. "What happened?" she asked, her voice almost a whisper.

Naruto closed his eyes, and it was like he was back there. That place of twisting shadow with no floor and no ceiling. And in front of him, his own reflection. Except if couldn't really be him. There was no way he could ever look that angry, no way his eyes could ever be that cruel. "He tried to kill me. I don't know if he was just that crazy from being locked up so long or if he was trying to take over my body." Naruto started to shake, unable to stop. "I've fought in wars. I've had people try to murder me before. But that was the scariest, most brutal fight I've ever been in. And I know that it was all in my head and I didn't get hurt in the real world… but I can still remember him biting off my nose and plucking out my eye."

Hinata got up, fully intending to give the nice man who'd fed her a hug.

"Don't!" he barked, hearing her move. He looked up, shaking his head. "I appreciate the thought. But you really shouldn't touch me right now."

"Okay," she agreed, sitting back down. "I'm sorry that happened to you, though."

Naruto grinned, or at least twisted his mouth up. "It's actually for the best that it happened when it did."

"Why?" Hinata asked, bewildered.

"I met him before I got my powers. So, he didn't have them either. That's the only reason I won. If I'd confronted him after finding a Matriarch, he would have obliterated me in an instant. Instead, I managed to snap his neck when he let his guard down." Naruto shook his head. "After that, I woke up. And it was like I'd grown a whole new section of my brain or something. I suddenly 'knew' about Uzu, I 'knew' the schematics for Uzu tech, the same way I knew how to breathe or curl my fingers. It's all… 'deeper' than my ordinary memories, almost instinctive."

Naruto sighed. "And for the last ten years, I've grappled with that knowledge. For a while, I tried to convince myself it was all a hallucination, but eventually I accepted it. I'm not smart enough to invent a whole language and alphabet, let alone all the rest. I thought a lot about what I was going to do. I considered just living celibate until I died and never having to deal with it. But in the end, that felt too much like running away.

Eventually, I made myself a promise. I would NOT be like other Uzu. I wouldn't enslave anyone. If I was going to have Thralls, they'd be willing participants who knew exactly what they were getting into. I would care for them, not use them. And I'd use my inheritance to help people instead of hurt them."

Naruto looked into Hinata's eyes. "And now, here we are."

Hinata gulped, the weight of his stare pressing heavily on her. "Why me? You've waited ten years to find a Matriarch. Why pick the scrawny worm girl who broke into your ship?"

Naruto looked away, an agonized expression on his face. "I wish I could say it's because I just met you and I already know I want to spend my life with you. I wish I could say it's because the Tyrenium in the hold is going to set me up for life and I'm finally in a position to settle down." Naruto dug his fingernails so hard into his palm he almost broke skin. "But the truth is that, no matter how hard I try not to behave like a monster, I was still born one. When I went to drop off your clothes, I almost joined you in the shower. You don't know how hard it was for me not to, and believe me, that scares me almost as much as it should scare you. My body's going crazy from your pheromones, and I can't guarantee you that I'll be able to resist you for the next few weeks. If you choose not to be with me, I'll try my very best to honor that. But I'm offering you the choice, because I'd rather you gave me your consent now than find out if I'll ignore it later."

Hinata felt her heartbeat speed up, but for some reason she wasn't really panicking. She heard his words, and could tell that he meant them. But she could also hear the shame in them. She could see the apology in his eyes. Yes, part of him wanted to… rape her. But the rest of him didn't. And he was fighting to give her the chance to make it consensual. A harsh, bitter part of her hissed that he should be able to just not do it at all, but really, wasn't this situation her own fault? She was the one who'd snuck onto the freighter, having no idea who its captain was or how he would react to her. She'd taken away his chance to warn her away from the danger he represented. So now, as she'd always done, she'd have to take what she could get and make the most of it.

"Thank you for your honesty, Naruto. The fact you're going to the trouble of telling me instead of just taking what you want just makes me sure that you really are a good man."

Naruto recoiled as if her words were the lash of a neural whip. "How can you say that after what I just told you?" he demanded, his words brimming with anger. Hinata stayed calm though, because she could tell it was all self-directed.

"It doesn't matter what urges you get, just the ones you choose to act on. An alcoholic can want to drink and choose to stay sober. And even if you were human, you'd probably be having naughty thoughts about being alone with a teenager. And considering how nice and handsome you are, I might have made a move anyway!" she chirped, trying to raise the mood from its current abyssal depths.

Naruto laughed. He couldn't help it, and it wasn't really about humor. He just needed to let out all the emotion her words had somehow unblocked, and laughing felt better than crying. He laughed until his ribs ached. When he opened tearing eyes to look at the grinning young woman before him, he smiled for the first time since the conversation started. "You're an incredible girl, Hyuuga Hinata, and far kinder than I deserve."

Hinata pouted. "You've really got a complex about all this Uzu shit, don't you? If I do become your Matriarch, you'll have to work on that. I'm not spending my life with you brooding next to me."

Naruto snorted. "I'll keep that in mind. Is there anything else you want to know that I haven't explained?"

"Hmm… how about a pro/con list for being your Matriarch? You didn't really explain much except how it worked."

"Okay," Naruto nodded. Freed, at least temporarily, from his self-loathing, he reviewed all his knowledge of Thralls and his powers and considered how they could affect Hinata positively. "Well, for starters, you'll be rich. If we're going to be a team, you deserve as much right to the money I'm going to make from that Tyrenium as I do."

Hinata frowned. "How much is that stuff actually worth? I don't recognize the name, so I guess it's rare or something, but it came from Karron of all places. What's so special about a few chunks of metal?"

Naruto smiled teasingly. "You ever hear the phrase, 'the diamond in the rough'? It means something extraordinary found where you didn't expect to find it. And Karron might be nothing but a big rock, but it's a rock that had some Tyrenium tucked away inside. And the last time I checked, Tyrenium sold for over twenty million ryo a ton." Naruto paused for dramatic effect. "I bought TEN tons."

"Holy fuck!" Hinata squeaked.

"Like you, Mizuki had never heard of Tyrenium. The sale would have been a bargain at twice the price, but he didn't know that." Naruto winked. "So, yes. Assuming we aren't slaughtered by pirates or sucked into a black hole, the two of us will be millionaires after this deal goes through."

"I hate to sound like a gold digger, but I'd blow you just to have that kind of money!" Hinata's eyes got dreamy. "I'm going to get SO fat."

Naruto marveled at her desire for what some women considered their worst fear. They'd truly lived very different lives. But if she really did want that… "I hate to burst your bubble, but you won't. I mean, you can eat to your heart's content, don't get me wrong, but you won't get fat."

Hinata scrunched her nose. "Why not?"

"Remember how I said my… cum would let me work my powers on you? I don't know the specifics, but I do know that I'll be able to literally rewrite your DNA. You'll essentially be clay for me to mold. And call it selfish, but I'm going to give you what I consider the ideal female body. You'll be about 5'9, a 32D cup, and muscled like a gymnast with just enough fat to not look like a bodybuilder. You also won't have any hair below the neck, and your skin will have a natural tan. As long as you keep swallowing my loads, you'll stay that way. So, no getting fat."

Hinata's eyes were wide as coins. "You can give me boobs? REAL boobs?"

Naruto smiled warmly. "Is that all you're going to focus on? But yes, I can make your boobs bigger."

"This keeps getting better and better," said Hinata. "What else?"

"Like I said, I'll be able to change your DNA and use my powers on every part of you. I can just keep resetting you to the 'template' of my ideal woman. That means that you'll never get sick, because no disease will stick around long enough to cause any damage. If you're ever injured, I can just top you up and you'll be healed in minutes. And… you'll never grow old."

Hinata shook her head like a wet dog. "I'm sorry, I must have heard you wrong. Did you just say your cum will let me live forever?"

Naruto shrugged. "Well, aging is, at its most basic, the accumulation of errors and junk in the body. It's the whole 'copy-of-a-copy' problem, plus basic entropy. But with my powers, I can clean all that up. So, unless you die before I can heal you or you ever stop drinking from me, then yes, you'll live forever."

Hinata looked at him in wonder. But then her smile dimmed. "But wait… what about you? Are you going to have to eat your creampies every now and then to de-age too?"

Naruto couldn't stop a rush of laughter. "Interesting idea, but no. According to my Guide's memories, my body will sort of 'freeze' once you become my Matriarch. Once my powers are unlocked, I'll just stop aging. Add that to psychic healing, and unless I get decapitated, I'll be around for a long, LONG time."

"Which means I'll be around for a long, long time," Hinata mused. "Huh. Immortality. It kinda hurts my head, thinking about it."

Naruto nodded. "I think I'll just try to take it a century at a time. Though I wonder how they'll fit all the candles on the cake at my one millionth birthday, let alone my billionth."

Hinata brought up a hand to rub her forehead. "You're not even joking, are you? Fuck," she breathed, awestruck. "Is there anything else before we get to the bad part?"

Naruto rubbed his chin. "I might be able to give you psychic powers. And not to toot my own horn, but you'll be getting the pleasure of my company. Both in and out of the bedroom," he tacked on, unable to help himself.

"Is that all?" she asked playfully. Her smile fell, and she held her head up a bit higher. "You wouldn't have been so worked up about this if there weren't some downsides. What are the cons to being your Matriarch?"

"I'll try to avoid it, but you still might get the compulsion to obey me. If it happens, all I can promise is to not force you to do anything on purpose," Naruto explained. "On top of the physical changes, there will be some personality shifts as well. This sounds horrible, but if we're going to spend eternity together, I'm going to change all the parts about you that could get on my nerves. It just seems like the best way for us both to be happy instead of learning to adjust to each other. If you KNOW about the changes and still agree, that should soothe my conscience."

Hinata gulped. "Okay… what kind of changes are we talking about, here?"

Naruto tried to smile reassuringly. "Keep in mind, you'll still have all your memories. You should still feel like 'you', I'm just changing a bit about how it's framed. As to what that is exactly… I like a woman who lights up a room when she walks in. Friendly, compassionate, just an overall positive aura. I like being dominant in bed, so you'll be more inclined to be submissive. I like intelligence, so you'll have a genius IQ. The biggest changes, and a bit of a necessity in the long run, is to make you bisexual, boost your sex drive and remove all your jealousy. I simply hate catfighting and selfish behavior, so that will have to go. I want to be able to take you whenever I want and for you to be eager for it, even initiating at times. And I love seeing two women together, especially when I get to join in. I figure that everything will just be more enjoyable if my Thralls don't just tolerate each other, but get intimate even when I'm not around."

Hinata pursed her lips. "So, what you're saying is that I'm going to turn into some debauched harem girl straight from a porn holo, and I'll like it?"

Naruto winced. "You can see why I'm not sure you'll accept. Though, those girls generally don't have two brain cells to rub together, and I want to feel like the dumb jock who managed to score the college girl. You'll be smarter than me, that I can guarantee, so if you really hate it you could probably convince me to change things."

"… I suppose there are worse ways to live forever than as a perpetually horny teenager," Hinata mused. "As long as you can keep up with me," she teased, though it felt a bit awkward.

Naruto smiled slow and wide. "Honey, that's one problem we're never going to have."

Her cheeks were flaming. "Right. Um. Was there anything else besides messing with my head?"

Naruto's smile vanished. "As my Matriarch, you'll have an empathic bond with all my Thralls. You'll be able to feel what each of them are feeling. Again, I'm going to keep my number of Thralls relatively small, but it might get overwhelming at times. I'll do my best to make sure everyone's happy as best I can, but I imagine even that might get annoying after a while."

"Right… I don't even know what to do with that. Feeling more than just my own feelings? That's something I just can't anticipate," Hinata thought aloud.

"You don't have any family to outlive, so that's one less thing to worry about," Naruto continued. "Last but not least… I'm not going to go starting any wars. But if I see a situation go bad and I'm in a position to help, I'm not going to be able to turn away. And if another Uzu shows up, I'll have to at least try and stop him. Running away while billions get slaughtered and enslaved just isn't in me. So, there's a good chance you'll be involved in active combat. I'll teach you how to fight, and with my powers there's little that can pose a real threat. But it's definitely something to consider. And that's everything I can think of."

Hinata bit her lip. "Right. So, quick recap, I have a choice. I can choose to stay quietly in my room for the rest of the trip, and I'll say goodbye with nothing but the clothes on my back and a crazy story. Or I can agree to drink from the magical transforming fountain of youth in your balls and spend millennia as your sexy side-kick, traveling the galaxy for adventure and good times. Is that about it?"

Naruto coughed delicately. "That's an interesting way to phrase it, but that's the gist of it."

"So, what I'm really choosing is between life and death," Hinata said offhandedly.

Naruto jerked in his seat. "What? Hinata, I'm not going to kill you if you say no! I'd ask that you keep all this a secret, but no one's really going to believe you anyway, so—"

"Relax, Naruto! I didn't mean it like that," Hinata shouted over his panicking. Once he settled, she continued at a more reasonable volume. "But if I don't become your Matriarch, I WILL die eventually. Hunger, a disease, an accident, maybe even old age. But I am going to die at some point. But, assuming you're not delusional or playing a stupidly complicated game to get into my pants, if I agree to be with you, I live. Possibly forever, but certainly a lot longer than I would have if I'd stayed on Karron. And by the sound of it, it'll be a much more interesting life too."

Naruto hardly dared to believe his ears. "What are you saying, Hinata?"

The blonde shrugged, a shy smile on her emaciated face. "It's not like I've got much to lose. And so far, you've treated me better than any other man I've met. I'd like to see where this goes. So, yes, I'll be your Matriarch. We can figure out what exactly that means for us along the way."

Naruto let out a shuddering breath. "Thank you, Hinata. Really, you don't know what this means to me." Having a brainwave, Naruto pivoted in his chair and activated the internal cameras. "Would you mind giving a statement of consent? Something for you to look back on, no matter what happens, and agree it was your idea?"

Hinata rolled her eyes, but her smile broadened. "You're really afraid I'll wake up one day and hate you for this, aren't you? I've known you an hour, but it's clear you've got some self-esteem issues, Naruto!"

The quadragenarian shrugged. "Please? It may seem silly, but this is important to me, okay?"

Hinata huffed before glancing around for the camera. Spying one in the corner, she twisted her seat to face it. "Hey, future me. This is you, Hinata, before Naruto's freaky alien cum did its thing. Naruto told you all about the Uzu and how being with him comes with a few changes. He hasn't threatened, bribed, or in any way forced you. You did this because it sounded like a good idea at the time, so if you have any regrets, don't blame him. And if all else fails, you can always walk away; he said he can break the bond without us dying and that he'd never make us obey. And if he was lying about that, then he probably won't let you see this, so what's the point? Now get back to Matriarch-ing!"

"Not what I was expecting, but it'll do," Naruto said delicately, stopping the recording.

Hinata winked. "Seems like the good old boy from the Core Worlds isn't used to asteroid girls and their special brand of charm."

Naruto laughed nervously. Now that this was actually happening, he found himself almost getting stage fright. He'd never had sex with someone who KNEW the long-term consequences before. "Before we, um, do this, there's a few details I left out."

Hinata narrowed her eyes. "What kind of details?"

"Nothing really important, I just didn't see the point of mentioning them unless you actually agreed," Naruto said hurriedly.

The pale waif crossed her arms. "After everything you just told me, what could possibly be too much for me to handle?"

Naruto tried not to squirm. "Um, well, my ears aren't the only way I'm… different from a Konoha. Now that we're actually going to have sex, you should know that my 'equipment' is not what you'd expect."

Hinata made no attempt to hide the way her eyes darted to his crotch. "It doesn't have teeth, does it?"

Naruto choked on a laugh. "What? No! I mean, it's shaped like a Konoha's, there's just a couple key differences."

"Are you going to explain them or are you just going to drop your pants and let me see for myself?" she teased.

Naruto shook his head. Once Hinata relaxed, she really was a bit of a minx already. Maybe he wouldn't be changing her that much, after all. "Okay. First off, the size. I'm big. I'm not trying to brag here, just trying to give you the facts. And the fact is that my erection is roughly the size of a wine bottle. All I can tell you is that it WILL fit, and I'll take it slow, okay?"

Hinata's brows were almost to her hairline. "I'll need psychic healing if you're planning to shove a monster like that up my holes!"

Naruto smiled encouragingly. "For what it's worth, I've gotten nothing but good reviews so far."

"Uh-huh. What else is there?"

"I have four balls. I call them my 'quad'. They're all reasonably larger than most Konoha males' as well. Consequently, I cum a lot. I'm talking quarts. So, don't be surprised if your belly rounds out after we've been together."

"Where would all that come from? Wouldn't you get dehydrated every time you bust a nut?"

Naruto shrugged. "I've never thought too hard about it. One last thing: my precum seems to send people into a trance. You'll build up a tolerance, but you probably won't remember the first few times. Oh, and you'll sleep for 14 hours after the first time. That's your body laying the groundwork for me to make all the changes to you."

Hinata glanced at the chronometer on the dashboard. "It's 1030 now. We do this quick and I'll be up in time for a midnight snack!" She stood up, and was suddenly reminded of how loose her borrowed clothing was. The compression shorts fell and got tangled in her ankles. She kicked them off, blushing. Luckily for her modesty, the shirt was big enough to cover her down to her knees.

Determined to ignore that little embarrassment, Hinata moved onward. "So, you want to just unzip and I'll get down to it?"

Naruto scratched at his cheek, keenly feeling how stilted and unromantic this moment was. "Actually, since you'll be passing out afterward, we should probably move to my cabin. And we don't have to start with me, if you don't want. We can make-out for a while and I can get you off a few times first. I mean, 'make your girl come twice for each time she does you', that's the rule, right?"

The teenager looked at him as if he'd just spoken Kumo. "Now I KNOW you're not Konoha. The guys I've been with wouldn't think like that in a million years."

"Well, I hope to STILL be thinking like that in a million years. It just seems fair to make sure the person you're having sex with enjoys it at least as much as you."

Hinata just shook her head and leaned forward to kiss his cheek. It was brief and chaste, but it sent a thrill through Naruto's body. "Come on, Mr. Uzu. Time to make me your Matriarch."

Naruto quickly checked that the long-range scanners were clear. Then he led Hinata to his cabin, trying not to think too hard about what he was about to do lest he freak himself out. It was just a blowjob, he'd had quite a few of those. Sure, it would be the first of many, but she knew that, she'd agreed to it. Setting his shoulders and deciding to take charge, Naruto strode firmly to his bed. He turned and sat down, Hinata standing hesitantly before him. "Take off the shirt," he commanded.

Hinata jumped a bit at the domineering tone. But she complied, pulling the cotton up over her head and tossing it to the floor. Naruto didn't even care, busy looking at the naked teenager. Objectively, she wasn't that much to look at. Her skin was fish-belly white all over, her breasts were almost nonexistent, and he could clearly count her ribs. But her hips flared wide, seeming to call for his hands to cradle them. Her lips teased him from below her indigo bush. And her eyes were bright, watching him watching her. This wasn't just some random girl. This was Hinata. The first to accept him for what he was, the first woman to willingly choose to stay by his side. She might not have the best body, but that would change with time. What mattered was, from this moment onward, she would belong to him.

"Undress me," he told her.

She stepped forward, into the open space of his legs. Even sitting down, he was almost as tall as her. He felt a surge of protective feelings in his chest, wanting to handle her with care. At the same time, he wanted to just throw her down and have his way with her. For once, he didn't try to fight that part of him down. He WOULD throw her down, one day. He would handle her like fine glass another day. Some days she'd do all the work, others he'd spend hours teasing her, and some days they would just attack each other. They had TIME. He didn't have to resist the siren call of her body and his instincts. He just had to be patient. And he could afford to be patient, couldn't he? He had the rest of time.

Hinata's small hands pulled on his shirt. He held his hands up for her, letting her get it off quickly.

"Wow," Hinata blurted. "You're fucking ripped."

Naruto smiled confidently. "I wanted to be in the best shape possible once this moment came. Plus, exercise is a nice way to pass the time. I'm guessing you approve?"

The girl ran her small hands over his broad shoulders, bulging pecs, and chiseled arms. "I couldn't fight you off if I wanted to. You're so strong, you could do whatever you wanted to me. Seeing it, feeling it, and knowing that you won't do anything I don't want… it's kind of hot," she mumbled to herself. "And you're not even human, but human men have always been so bad to me. It's like you're the dragon come to rescue the damsel from the cruel knight."

Naruto brought his hands up slowly to hold hers, trying not to draw attention to how his cock had firmed up the instant her skin touched his. "In a couple days, I can start breathing fire for you. But even if we got attacked in the next ten seconds, I'll always protect you. I've trusted you with my darkest secrets, Hinata, and somehow you trusted me back. Whether we're together for a day or decades, I'll never be able to thank you enough for that."

Her eyes got suspiciously bright. She coughed, and deliberately broke from his hold to run her hands down his shredded abs to his waistband. "Enough mushy talk. Show me the cock that could conquer the Elemental Spiral, already."

With fumbling hands, she managed to undo his button and zip. Lifting his hips to help her, Naruto watched as she slid his cargo pants and briefs off of him.

"Fuck me!" she screamed in surprise, jerking back as the pulsating pillar of male flesh was freed of its trappings. It stood there, angrily throbbing for the touch of another, reaching up past his belly button. Pulled up tight underneath it were four orbs, each about the size of the apple she'd eaten earlier. It was a magnificent example of masculinity, enough to strike the viewer dumb in awe and wonder.

"That's the plan," Naruto said playfully, unable to help the boost to his ego her reaction provided. While she was distracted, he kicked off his pants, underwear, and socks. "We'll work up to it, though, don't worry."

"How the fuck is that supposed to fit in me?" Hinata demanded, her face a curious mixture of horror and fascination.

"My precum will help you to get it down your throat. And one of the very first changes I'll make is so you'll stretch everywhere without getting hurt." Naruto shrugged helplessly. "I can't really do anything else than that, though. I didn't ask to be this big."

Hinata suddenly broke into giggles. "You realize that if you were a Konoha this size, you'd be screwed, right? You'd almost never find a woman who wouldn't run screaming from the room once she saw it. How did you ever get laid without explaining what you are?"

Naruto sighed. "You'd be amazed how many size fetishists there are in the galaxy. And, honestly, half the people who've slept with me had a little liquid courage before we started. I was only ever looking for a one-night stand or brief fling, so it didn't really matter. Even before I found out about the Uzu, I was worried about causing long-term damage because I was different."

Her eyes softened, and she leaned in to kiss him on the lips. Naruto's hands twitched, eager to get on her, but he restrained himself, letting her set the pace. He couldn't help but focus on how his glans grazed her tummy, though.

Hinata pulled back, her bewitching blue eyes locked with his. "You've been very lonely up till now." It was a statement, not a question. Regardless, he found himself nodding. "But those days are done. You have me, now."

She kept eye contact as she sank slowly to her knees. She looked away only to shift her attention to his engorged prick. She gently took hold of it, trying not to be intimidated by the fact her fingers couldn't close around it. Glancing back up at Naruto's concerned, grateful, eager face, she quipped "Bottoms up!"

And then she took the tip into her mouth.

Naruto's hands curled into the sheets. It had been months since he'd had sex. He always seemed to forget just how good it was to have a warm, wet, soft texture on the most sensitive part of himself. He felt his body's natural lubrication surge up his shaft, his quad sensing a new home to house their squirming contents. He kept his eyes open though, waiting for the moment Hinata's eyes would glaze over. Seeing her mouth around him was like watching a gerbil trying to eat a cucumber, but it was hard to laugh when it felt so nice.

Hinata kept her pouty lips in a firm seal around the mushroom head, for once glad for the skills she'd picked up from years of survival sex. She was surprised to find that the taste that surged over her tongue was sweet, not salty. In fact, it was even sweeter than the piece of licorice she'd once stolen from an unsuspecting trader. She focused her tongue on the slit, wanting even more of that heady taste. Her efforts were rewarded with another spurt, but it wasn't enough. The more she had, the more she wanted. Her last lucid thought that it was no wonder an Uzu's Thralls kept coming back for more. Then she covered her teeth with her lips and moved over the rim of the head, and gave a good, hard suck. Her awareness was swept away in a rush of gustatory sensation.

Naruto relaxed as he saw her go into the trance. Now she wouldn't hurt him or herself by overthinking it. All he had to do was lie there and enjoy her mindless sucking, until eventually he reached his climax and blew her up like a balloon with his rich spunk. He reached out with a hand to rub her head, feeling her stringy hair and anticipating the day it would be thick and strong. "Good girl, keep it up, you'll get it all down soon," he said distractedly, relishing the feelings surging up his shaft to his brain.

Hinata made steady progress down his shaft, the movements of her mouth not unlike the reflexive suckling of an infant at its mother's teat. Naruto savored every inch she devoured, his pleasure growing with every bit of his meat she swallowed. In no time, he reached the entrance to her throat. She seemed to hesitate, before pulling back to take a breath and plunging forward. Naruto's eyes rolled back as he felt the distinct shift in sensation as he entered her pharynx proper. Finally, her lips were wrapped around the base of his shaft, her nose brushing his groin and her chin the taut skin of his oversized scrotum. In that moment, Naruto forgot about Uzu and Thralls and everything else that had plagued his mind since he'd found Hinata that morning. All that mattered was that he was buried to the hilt in a warm body.

Hinata unconsciously began to deepthroat him like an expert courtesan, sliding the full length of him from the head to the root in and out of her tight mouth. She never seemed to fight for breath, taking him with all the regularity of a metronome. Naruto's pleasure waxed and waned with each stroke and pause, his world narrowing down to the stimulation of his cock and the heavy weight in his balls. Yet even as he succumbed to physical lust, his mind focused on the incredibly erotic truth: this was just the beginning. He'd feel the warm embrace of her throat countless times in the future. In time, he'd also feel the silky walls of her pussy and the tight heat of her ass. She was going to be his Matriarch, his Thrall, his woman, HIS! His to cherish and protect, his to ravage and delight, his to do whatever he wanted to. He was going to round out her body with his seed, one way or another, for years to come!

It was that last thought, of an incredibly beautiful version of Hinata rubbing a belly swollen with both his child and his load, that set him over the edge.

"AAAH! FUCK!" he roared, so loud it might have been heard from outside the ship had it not been traveling through the empty void between stars.

His quad, which had been preparing this particular load for days, unloaded with explosive glee. Hinata paused in her movements, instinctively focusing on coaxing every drop out of him and into her stomach. She was filled to capacity in just a couple jets, but there was so much more to come. Her body had no choice but to expand, her abdomen slowly but steadily rounding out as millions of Uzu sperm were ejected into her to begin their futile quest for a fertile egg.

Breathless from his orgasm, Naruto slowly and carefully extracted himself from Hinata. His slowly softening tool left her lips with a little pop, the girl faithfully maintaining a pull until the last second. She panted, the exertion of the last few minutes finally catching up with her. He could see that her mouth was painted white, a last few spurts leaking out despite the lack of contractions. Her hands idly caressed the tight flesh of her tummy, which looked like it had a watermelon or pumpkin shoved inside it.

Naruto gently lifted her up off the floor, realizing he now held the most precious thing in the universe to him in his arms. When he'd woken up, he hadn't even known she was on the ship. It wasn't even lunchtime yet, and she was now the most important person he knew.

"That trip to Karron really was the best decision I ever made," he chuckled to himself, tucking her beneath the covers of his bed. He leaned down to kiss her temple, even as she fell asleep the moment her head touched the pillow. "Sweet dreams, Hinata."


	2. Chapter 2

**Let's keep on rolling!**

* * *

Naruto kept himself occupied for the rest of the day, steadily tackling the maintenance issues that were inevitable in a ship this old… after spending a couple hours cleaning everything Hinata had touched. He was tempted to just space her clothes, but he instead tossed them in the same locker she'd hidden in; maybe they'd have sentimental value to her. He kept checking the scanners regularly, noting that he had passed an unusual amount of wreckage. Pirates must be getting more active in this sector, so Naruto made extra sure that all alarms were active, and his plotted course was clear.

At around 1600, he decided to have a long workout, warming up with an hour of practicing all his self-defense kata before really pushing his body to the limits. After all, if things went to plan, he might be able to stop tomorrow and stay just as fit as he was in that moment.

He was working out in his passenger cabin, mindful of his new lover's comfort. She wouldn't wake up even if a bomb went off, but it just seemed rude to get all sweaty while she was sleeping in the same room. As Naruto tried for a new personal best in handstand pushups, he kept focusing on the mantra he'd had going through his brain since he'd left Hinata.

*Make her healthy. Keep her free will. Partner, not slave. *

Those twelve syllables kept repeating in his head, his attempt at shaping the bond that would form before he could consciously control it. If worst came to worst, he could always break and remake the bond once he knew what he was doing. But he wanted to get it right the first time. Call it pride, call it superstition, but he felt like it would ruin this fragile new relationship if it began the way a typical Uzu-Matriarch connection did.

Naruto wasn't sure how to feel about Hinata. She was pretty and kind. And she hadn't run screaming when he'd told her the truth. But they hardly knew each other, yet had tacitly agreed to potentially spending lifetimes together. It almost felt like an arranged marriage, becoming duty-bound to a stranger's happiness the same day you met them. It couldn't really be helped, given the reality of their situation, but it still felt odd how things had just happened.

Naruto knew himself well enough to realize part of the problem was his own denial. He'd accepted that 'one day' he would claim his heritage, gain his powers, and begin on a journey that would hopefully end with a happier, more peaceful galaxy than if he'd never existed. But now that it was actually happening, he found a part of him convinced that it would all turn out to be a dream. He'd always been a realist, very much a 'what you see is what you get' man who didn't trust anything that didn't make sense as he understood the world. He'd spent weeks talking himself out of checking into a psychiatric program after the confrontation with his Guide, struggling to reconcile all he knew and all he suddenly KNEW. The idea that he was capable of what he could only call 'magic' was simply impossible. He'd rationalized it away given the sheer complexity of his 'delusion', but part of him was still certain it was all fake. If his powers actually appeared after his third time with Hinata, then he would have to accept that it was all real.

And that thought terrified him.

Naruto had accepted the harsh, clear truth that not all men were created equal as far back as his twenties. Sure, it was unfair, but the simple fact was that some just were born with more potential than others. Whether from their family circumstances, raw intelligence or capability, lucky breaks, or sheer stubbornness, certain people were just capable of MORE than those around them. Knowing that, Naruto had come to the conclusion that moaning about how others were better, or your talents were wasted on you was pointless. The best thing to do was to just do the best you could and make your peace with however big or little that contribution to the grand scheme was. If it turned out that all this 'imaginary' power he had wasn't so imaginary, then he might have the most potential of anyone born in known space.

Naruto knew that he wasn't 'obligated' to do anything but what he damn well pleased. But his own moral code would compel him to do his best. He didn't WANT the responsibility that went hand in hand with the vast resources of his birthright. He didn't want to feel honor-bound to protect the whole Galactic League from any malignant Uzu that came around. He didn't want to feel like a selfish bastard if he didn't try at least a little to improve the lives of all the sapient creatures that called this little corner of the universe their home.

But it was all there anyway. And Naruto was going to just have to man up and face it, even if part of him was hoping it would turn out to be make-believe.

Well, at least Hinata and any other partners he might get would be there to provide a little fun.

Naruto steered his thoughts away from that direction, lest his v-sit become more of an 'A'.

After he'd done his very best to make every single muscle in his body sore, Naruto had a long shower and settled down to dinner. One unexpected benefit of his deal with Hinata was that his rations wouldn't take a hit from having another mouth to feed. Hinata would be able to subsist on a diet of nothing but his cum for the next few weeks. The former marine took a little time to relish the thought of a pretty girl living on his seed alone. Naruto would admit that he'd thought about living off his own fluids in a pinch, but he could never bring himself to do it. The one time he'd been brave enough to taste, it had been revolting. He had no idea what all his past lovers were talking about, insisting it was like liquid sugar. It was probably a Uzu thing, some mechanism built into his genome to make sure they didn't spend their lives sucking their own dicks. That, or so no slave juice went to waste.

Settling in to wait until Hinata woke up from her all-day nap, Naruto sank into his ergonomic pilot's chair. The wonder of furniture design was his one indulgence on the ship, and even then, it was a practical investment in the long run. Better to spend 20,000 ryo at once than rack up millions in hospital bills dealing with issues from years of bad posture. It occurred to Naruto that he never really spent money on anything unless it served a purpose. He'd been frugal with his pay in the military, and had only bought the necessities during his life as a trader. Even once he got rich on this Tyrenium, would his lifestyle really change that much?

Well, better to have and not need than need and not have, that was a philosophy Naruto strongly believed in.

Naruto whiled away the hours until midnight with some Space Chess. Once the Holonet had replaced the primitive Internet of Konoha's early years, one of the first new things to pop up was a 3D version of the ancient game. Both players had 48 pieces, arranged in two rows of columns of three on either the top or bottom of their side of the board, depending which side you were. Some preferred to stick close to the original by playing on an 8x8x8 'board', but most found that it got too crowded too fast and preferred a 12x12x12 board. Some played with even bigger dimensions, but those really dragged once the game got to its last stages. The goal was to protect all three of your Kings or 'Planets', though checkmate was only achieved when a player had captured two of his opponent's and cornered the third. The addition of a z-axis had made the game exponentially more complex than its predecessor, and the graphics made possible by the raw computational power of the Holonet drew in lots of the kids. Skins made for underground, land, and air combat or underwater battles existed, but for some reason the chance to recreate a clash between two alien armadas remained the most popular. It really strained the brain to play a good game, but it was still easier than Neo Go. A game between two masters of THAT game could last for a full day.

When Naruto was starting to have to remind himself to open his eyes again after he blinked, the 14 hours were winding to a close. Naruto stopped to grab a glass of water before he reached the cabin. He remembered from past experience that his lovers always woke from their first time with him extremely thirsty. The few times he'd 'fed' a partner twice, it hadn't been a problem; instead, he had to explain why they woke up looking a few months pregnant. He wasn't sure what caused the dehydration, his genetic memories not going into much depth on the 'how's and 'why's of things. If he ever (by mutual agreement) enthralled a doctor, they'd have to look into that and the rest of his Uzu stuff.

Naruto entered the cabin to find Hinata already stirring. He brightened the lights slowly to avoid shocking her, then walked over to his bunk. "Here," he offered, holding out the cup. "I know you're thirsty, this will really help."

"Thanks" she rasped, sitting up and reaching out, heedless of her nudity. Naruto's eyes did an involuntary once-over. It might have been his imagination, but she already seemed a little less thin, her skin not quite so colorless. She took big gulps from the glass, and his eyes were drawn to the way her throat bobbed up and down. This was why he'd been sure he could keep up with her appetites, no matter how much he stoked them. His body went into a kind of hibernation when he went too long without sex. But once he got some, he was primed and loaded like a Gatling laser, ready to keep blasting tirelessly. He wasn't actually sure just how long he could go in one session, but he had a feeling he'd be finding out in the near future.

Hinata had to cough to get his attention, and Naruto blushed as he took back the glass. *One blowjob and you're as bad as a frat boy. Get it together, Uzumaki. *

"So, how do you feel?" Naruto asked, setting the glass aside to be washed later.

The bluenette stretched her limbs above her head, thrusting out her modest breasts; Naruto's eyes tracked her pink nipples like an auto-turret. She tilted her head from side to side, a look of delight slowly spreading across her face. "I've never felt better! I don't feel hungry or tired at all! And all these little aches and pains I learned to ignore are just gone!"

She looked up at him in wonder. "It's all true, isn't it? There's no way I could feel this good if I just had a nap after we had sex. Your cum really did heal me!"

"I told you I wasn't lying," he said, both pleased and a bit uncomfortable at the depth of joy and gratitude in her eyes.

With all the ferocity and none of the grace of a jungle cat, Hinata threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him like he'd just come home from war.

Naruto recovered from his shock at the sudden assault soon enough, taking charge of the kiss with ease. He gently but implacably maneuvered Hinata onto her back, her head cushioned by the pillow. Naruto then sank down on her, making sure she would feel pinned but supporting himself enough that she could still breathe. His tongue slid past her lips with no resistance, the teen oh so eager and willing. He tamed her wild tongue with little effort, forcing hers into submission so he could take his time tasting every inch of her mouth. He ground the hard length of his dick against her labia, more to tease her than to really satisfy himself. The layers of cloth wrapped around him dulled the sensation to the point that he could do this simple movement for hours without risking his control.

He held her down like that, asserting his power over her body to bring them both pleasure. When he started to get a little lightheaded, he succumbed to the need for oxygen and pulled back. A string of saliva stuck between their mouths, maintaining their connection. Hinata was panting, her eyes so big and bright, as aroused as a cat in heat. Naruto knew, in that moment, he could have her wrapped around him without even a word. It was incredibly tempting, but he felt they needed to talk at least a little before just jumping into it.

"Not that I'm complaining," he started, giving a long, drawn-out thrust against her hips to illustrate his point, "But what was that for?"

Hinata almost seemed beyond speech, but she seemed to gather herself once he lifted off her just a bit. "I just wanted to say thanks. You can't imagine how amazing it is for me to just… not be in pain. I suddenly have much more sympathy for blockheads."

Naruto tried not to wince at the crude term. 'Blockhead' was a very rude way to refer to someone addicted to neural blockers, the more precise and therefore more powerful family of drugs that had replaced the painkillers of pre-Interstellar medicine.

"You're very welcome. I'm glad I could take away your hurt. But you really should be thanking my four friends, not me," Naruto answered, suddenly very aware that he'd gone half a day since his last orgasm.

"Oh, I intend to," Hinata purred, moving a hand to cup him.

Naruto tilted his hips away, hating that he was such a gentleman. Life would be so much more enjoyable if he didn't respect women… and wow, he really WAS horned up to be thinking shit like that.

"I'd like that, believe me I would, but I want to talk with you first."

Hinata sighed. "Yeah, I guess it makes sense to wait until I'm beautiful. Wouldn't want the first time to be a dud."

"That's not why, and don't you dare put yourself down like that ever again!" Naruto stated sternly. His heart had twisted hearing her words. His hand also itched to spank her for saying them, but he shelved that for later. "You're an amazing girl, Hinata, and I'd love nothing more than to make love to you right now. I just needed to check that you were okay with everything. You've gotten a taste of the power of my cum, and I wanted to make sure you still wanted to keep going down this path with me."

Her eyes watered, tears sliding down her face to the sheets below. He was just starting to panic when she leaned up to press their lips together. This kiss had none of the frenzy of the earlier ones, yet it touched him deeper than any of them had. When she pulled back, one corner of her mouth was curled up in a wry smile. "Guess both of us have a bad habit of assuming the worst of ourselves."

Naruto huffed, bringing down his head to lean against her forehead. "Seems we do. I'll work on it if you will."

"Sure thing." Hinata brought up a finger to trace his face, her eyes noting the signs of fatigue their brief make-out had banished. "It's been a very long day for you. You should get some rest. Let me get my dinner and then we can both get some sleep. We can save all the heavy talk for the morning, okay?"

The moment Hinata had brought it up, all his tiredness seemed to hit him in one big knockout punch. He was suddenly in danger of falling asleep on top of her. She might be a bony pillow, but she was warm and soft. With an act of supreme will, Naruto rolled over, forcing himself to fit in the gap between Hinata and the wall. "Okay," he mumbled. "Don't take it personally if I pass out before you finish. I think I went overboard keeping myself busy until you woke up."

"Shh, no talking. Just close your eyes and enjoy," she cooed, slipping the pillow under his head. Naruto was vaguely aware of her shimmying his clothes off him, and when she left the bed to lower the lights, he almost missed her return. But her wrapping her soft hand around his quad and mouthing his head, that he did notice.

Naruto wanted to do SOMETHING besides just lie there, but it was like the gravity had doubled. It was almost too much effort just to breathe. Deciding to take her advice, Naruto let her do all the work and took what she was so generously giving. He was too out of it to tell when his precum took over, just feeling as the sweet, slippery warmth went up and down on him. He stuck around long enough for the climax, though it was more like water leaking out of a pierced bottle than a dam bursting like earlier. He sank into unconsciousness with the crest of his orgasm. He didn't feel Hinata curl up into his chest, or his arm moving of its own will to wrap around her shoulders, or the dopey grin she pressed into his shoulder before sleeping off her meal.

Hinata woke up slowly, a novel experience for her. She was normally so tense and alert, even in her unconscious hours, that not jumping straight into immediate awareness felt strange. She became aware of warm skin against her own… too much skin. Her muscles tightened, the knowledge she had no barriers protecting her from another body sending her into fight-or-flight mode. But the sharp inhale provoked by her fear filled her nose with a mixture of scents that confused her.

It was so… CLEAN. Some kind of soap, without the harsh bite of antiseptic chemicals. Cloth, but light and airy, not rough and grimy from dirt all but woven into the fabric. Sweat, but not 'dirty' sweat that stuck in your nose and made your stomach curl; just a heady musk that registered somewhere in her brainstem as 'healthy male'.

She opened her eyes, wondering where in Karron she could possibly be that would smell so… non-Karron-like, to see an expanse of muscle that put every man she'd ever met to shame. And resting in the valley between the pectorals, a golden bauble hanging from a black cord. It was a piece of jewelry she had only seen once, and the man who wore it was no one to fear.

Hinata sighed blissfully, releasing the tension that she'd reached for in her first waking moments. Memories of the day before returned to her, losing their dreamlike quality when the truth of them was right in front of her. She knew where she was, and who she was with.

The bluenette tried to bring herself closer to Naruto's soothing warmth, but her belly seemed to somehow get in the way. She looked down to see what the problem was, and barely withheld a shocked shriek. Her tummy was bulging, a distinct curve flowing up from where yesterday there was a flat, slightly sunken plane. If she'd had more meat on her bones, it might have looked like a bit of padding or she was trying to thrust out her stomach. On her stick-like figure, it looked like she was in her second trimester.

Hinata brought a hand down to rub the bump in wonder. It felt hard, and warm, and she sensed the movements of her hand deep in her belly, which for once didn't feel hollow and empty.

*I guess he really DOES cum a lot, * she reflected, petting the proof of how substantial her last meal with Naruto had been.

Stroking the evidence of the man's extreme potency, and remembering clearly the sheer scale of the organ she'd sucked on twice now, Hinata felt the last of her doubts fade away.

*If he was telling the truth about his cock and balls, he was telling the truth about the rest. He's a Uzu, a race of alien wizards who enslave hordes of women. Except he wants to use his powers for good, and treat his women kindly. And he picked YOU. Not that you gave him much choice, but still… *

Hinata laid her head back on Naruto's arm. It was hard and dense as a rock, but the curve of his bicep seemed to nestle into the curve of her skull like two puzzle pieces coming together. She stared up at the ceiling of his cabin, a featureless sheet of titanium broken up only by light fixtures, and thought about the fantastical situation she had stumbled into.

When she'd first heard his strong voice when she'd been curled into the tiny metal compartment she'd hid herself in, her heart had somehow both leapt into her throat and sank into her bowels. The jig was up. She'd have to face the spacer who owned this rusty Freighter, and pray he had more mercy than Georgio would have had for her. She knew there was no point in putting it off, but she somehow couldn't bring herself to come out. Like a child tucked under the covers, she wouldn't be found if she just stayed still.

Hearing the words 'hard way' was enough to galvanize her. Always best to do things the easy way when it came to men. She'd learned that lesson in the back tunnels of Karron, when puberty had gifted her both a new danger to watch out for and a relatively painless way to get food. Simply letting them have their way with you hurt less than trying to fight them off, unless they were 'shiners'. A shiner, noticeable by a certain glint in their eye, would like nothing more than for you to cry out in pain, and would hurt you until you did. Hinata had learned how to run from shiners, and even if this man turned out to be one, she couldn't run if she was stuck in the locker.

When she'd come out, she realized any chance of running was doomed from the start. The man had over a foot and at least a hundred pounds on her. He had a gleaming shotgun in his hands, looking finer than anything even Tenten could manufacture. And the way he held himself, it reminded her of the security contractors. When they were fresh to Karron and hadn't yet gotten lazy from bribes and boredom, the contractors moved in a way that marked them as dangerous. Even standing still, she saw that same deadly power in the captain.

She had expected summary execution, being dragged back to Karron, selling herself in whatever way she could to keep this chance at freedom. Prepared for it, even. What she could not have anticipated, though, was a man with manners. A man who talked to her while looking at her face, not her body. A man who offered her food with no strings attached. A man who gave her a SHOWER.

Hinata had been baffled by Uzumaki Naruto's behavior, all of her strategies for men rendered null by his… respect. He'd respected her, even as an intruder. Maybe not as a person, but at least as a living being. And that was something she'd only gotten from two people in her life; one was dead, and the other she'd left far behind.

Except for one moment. When she'd panicked at the thought of returning to Karron, a certain thought had entered his head. When he'd believed she'd wronged him, used him, sullied his honor, he had been furious. It wasn't a bright hot anger, the kind she was used to, the kind that led to blood running in the tunnels and bruises the next day. It was cold and sharp and focused as a knife. In that moment, Hinata KNEW, in the wisdom that comes to prey when faced with a predator, that Naruto could have ended her. He could have wiped out her entire being, snuffed her like a candle faced with the winter wind, and he would have felt no more remorse than she would for squashing an ant.

Remembering that look he'd given her, like a spurned god faced with the insect who insulted them, she could believe that his brothers had fought entire planets and won. And that was just from the sheer volume of hatred, the weight of the disdain, the intensity of the emotion. Back that up with powers out of a storybook, gadgets light-years ahead of any she knew, and a legion of brainwashed minions… Yeah, Uzu could be unstoppable.

And yet, Naruto wasn't like other Uzu. She had no proof for that other than his word, but why suspect that when he had told her nothing but the truth so far? He'd been raised with a much higher code of ethics than Hinata was used to, that was obvious. And through what was apparently a big accident, he had overcome the quirk in Uzu minds that pushed them toward depravity and narcissism. If he turned bad, it would be by his own choice. And while he certainly had the capacity for evil, bred into him by the sound of it, he seemed determined to rise above it.

She was a good judge of character; it had been one of the only tools she had to survive, and she'd honed it to a keen edge over the years. She'd told Naruto he was a good man, and the more she learned about him, the surer she became of that fact. Listening to the slow breaths of the gentle giant she found herself in bed with, she was certain he would have resisted her if she'd refused him. There would have been a few close calls, and maybe bad luck would have decided to screw both of them over after all, but Hinata would have bet all she'd ever owned that she would have disembarked at Port Heracles unmolested. Not that she'd ever had much, but it was the thought that counted.

They'd never find out, though, because Hinata had accepted him. Really, it was a no-brainer. Money, a beautiful body, eternal youth, and sex with the hottest man she'd ever seen. She hadn't been aware of that last fact until she'd gotten his clothes off, but his face had been strong, defined, and most importantly kind. She wasn't sure how she felt about sex with other women, but Hinata was starting to suspect she had very little idea about how good sex could actually be. She and Naruto had made out for barely a minute when she'd woken up last night, and he made her feel better than all of her former partners combined, even including the ones who made her cum. Maybe she'd find she quite enjoyed Sapphic delights. And fighting, well, she had a lifetime of experience with violence and the razor edge between life and death. It might be nice, even therapeutic, to be the one inflicting it rather than suffering it for a change.

As Hinata ran her fingers over her swollen tummy, an aspect of her budding life with Naruto suddenly occurred to her. They were going to be together for a long time, a lot longer than other couples. And even on Karron, where life was so short and brutal, people had kids. If her life was to become bound to a man literally designed to fuck, it seemed laughable to think that pregnancy wouldn't eventually come up.

Hinata had never really thought about kids, except for the fear of getting knocked up. It just seemed cruel to bring a life into the world when it was doomed to be one of misery. Besides, how could she afford another mouth to feed when she could barely scrape together enough for herself?

But now, she allowed herself to wonder. What would it be like to have a baby with Naruto? They were going to be rich thanks to those freakishly valuable ore containers in the cargo bay, so her child would never go hungry. And thinking of how much effort Naruto had gone to yesterday to care for her, see to her needs, and the gentle way he'd held her, she was absolutely certain he'd be an amazing father.

Hinata felt a rush of horniness, surprising in its intensity, as she imagined her belly swollen not from a vast quantity of sperm, but from Naruto's baby growing inside her. The thought was so magical, a tiny bundle of warmth with Naruto's hair and her eyes, that she felt the urge to wake him up and get started on making that dream a reality right now.

Hinata paused. The thought was appealing, sure, but why the rush? She wasn't even his Matriarch yet. Plus, didn't Naruto say there was risk of pirates? And however amazing Naruto was, they HAD only met yesterday.

She remembered his warnings of personality shifts. It seems she'd already found the first one. He'd told her Uzu used their Thralls as breeding stock to make more (and wasn't that a fucked-up thought; didn't that mean the Uzu was fucking his own daughters?), so it made sense to make sure the girls WANTED to have babies. No psychic connection, and he'd already made her crazy to bear his young.

Hinata took a moment to figure out how she felt about that. A part of her felt violated, just a tiny bit, for having those thoughts put in her head. But he had warned her about the changes being with him would bring, if not in as much detail as she probably should have asked for. The teen thought back to a moment ago, how her heart had soared with joy at the thought of being the mother of Naruto's children. Those feelings had been real, if unexpected. In the end, did it really matter why she wanted kids, as long as she enjoyed them? And Naruto WOULD be a good father, a loving father.

Hinata smiled, nodding to herself. She was fine with her newfound need to breed; why care that it was artificial when it promised such true happiness? Though she'd try to restrain it just a bit; she was ready to have kids right that second, but that didn't mean Naruto was. Besides, he hadn't even fucked her yet. She was getting a bit ahead of herself.

Blushing as she thought about Naruto having 'real' sex with her, Hinata was overcome with curiosity. She glanced at Naruto's face to make sure he was sound asleep. He was, eyes closed and face slack, going very long between each inhale and exhale. She was struck by how much younger he looked while asleep. He didn't seem that old in the first place, barely thirty by her estimate (which is why his talk of retirement yesterday had confused her a bit). Yet there was a quality to his features that conveyed maturity that was now absent in sleep. She realized with a twinge of concern that it had been tension. The way he'd pinched his eyebrows ever so slightly, the way he set his shoulders… it was like he'd been carrying the weight of a world on his back. The baggage of his species must truly trouble him, and Hinata vowed in that moment to try and make sure Naruto always looked as peaceful awake as he did right now.

Remembering why she checked in the first place, Hinata tilted her head where it rested on Naruto's shoulder to look down his body. With a pickpocket's light fingers, she reached out to gather the sheet that covered them at the waist, brought up at some point during the night by the motions of sleep. Getting a grip on the linen without reaching through to brush Naruto's skin, Hinata slowly lifted up the sheet.

It seemed Naruto was a grower instead of a shower. That was probably for the best, since it would have been pretty awkward to walk with all that meat crammed between his legs. Given the sheer mass of his penis though, he was still bigger soft than most men were hard. She marveled at the tool it was apparently now her privilege to service. The shaft was the same light tan as the rest of Naruto's skin, a couple veins sticking up along the surface like hills on the plains. It was tilted up towards her, so she could see through the hood of his foreskin that the head was pink and soft-looking, with the eye closed as tightly as the ones in Naruto's head. Compared to the turgid, maroon, leaking monster she remembered putting her mouth on before her memories got blurry, it was almost cute. Past the spear meant by nature to pierce a woman, she saw his sack. The top two balls seemed to be leaning drunkenly against each other, held up by the pair beneath. Each of them was so big she wasn't sure if they would fit in her mouth whole.

She licked her lips, craving another taste of his candy-sweet precum. But she hadn't even digested her dinner yet. And she'd told him they would talk in the morning before doing anything. Plus, while it would definitely be a pleasant way to wake up, Naruto needed sleep. He'd all but collapsed last night, after riding the rush of her throwing herself at him.

Bringing up the sheet so it covered her shoulders and Naruto's collarbone, Hinata settled down to snuggle with her sleeping man. And yes, he was her man. She had verbally agreed to, for all intents and purposes, belong to him. Naruto was a fair man. He should be perfectly okay belonging to her in turn. Even if she'd end up sharing him with an indeterminate number of other women. Then again, given what he was packing, she might need reinforcements if she ever wanted to be able to walk!

Hinata spent a couple hours like that, in a warm cocoon made from bedsheets and Naruto's arm, imagining a life of luxury as the top bitch of Naruto's harem. Her stomach slowly flattened until it was slim as it had always been. Although, she didn't seem to be as painfully thin as she remembered. Seems her body was putting her high-protein diet to good use.

She was just getting into a fantasy of Naruto feeding her 'chocolate', that mysterious and mythical sweet all the rich Core World ladies ate, while watching Karron vanish in a big, fiery explosion. Before she could start eating the 'chocolate' off of parts of Naruto besides his fingers, she felt the man move beside her. She looked up to find him looking down at her, a tender smile on his face. Hinata felt her heart skip, and realized that all the money and Uzu crap were just accessories to the real prize. If all Naruto had to offer her was that smile and the look in his eyes he had in that moment, she would still stand beside him. It was worth all the sadness and struggle she'd endured up to that point, if it had led her to him.

Whether that was how she would have felt if he were 'normal' or if it was part of the changes his cum had begun to work on her, she couldn't say. And she couldn't care less.

"Morning," he said sleepily, leaning down to press a kiss into her hair. She felt tingly all of a sudden.

"Morning," she answered, trying to remember if she'd ever felt so content before. She was coming up with a blank.

"Have you been up for long?" he asked, absentmindedly stretching out his left arm. The interplay of muscles flexing and extending was fascinating to watch.

"For a while, but I was perfectly comfy. Gave me a little time to think about yesterday. By the way, is there some Uzu reason why I didn't need to get up for the bathroom?" she asked. After the first hour, she'd started to wonder at the lack of her usual morning urge for relief, especially considering she'd switched to a liquid diet.

"My cum is healing you, making repairs and eliminating waste. That means ALL waste. As long as you've fed from me in the past 24 hours, you don't have to worry about any of the usual bathroom routines besides bathing." Naruto shrugged, which made Hinata's head rise an impressive amount. "It's a bit weird, but not much more than all the other stuff it can do. And it takes a lot of the worry out of anal sex," he added, a salacious grin breaking out on his face.

"Sounds like I never even have to leave your bed," she teased back, blushing up a storm at the idea of THAT going in THERE. He said she'd be able to stretch, but come on man! Something he mentioned niggled at her though, and in a flash, she remembered a rather significant bodily function he'd neglected to mention.

"Um, Naruto? How's your cum going to affect my... how do you proper K-Fed boys put it? My 'feminine hygiene'?"

When Hinata's father was still alive, and she still had a home she could call her own, one of her only toys had been an old children's book. The brightly colored collection of plastic and paper had been meant to teach her the alphabet, by illustrating each letter with a cute animal. The page for 'D' had a dog, shown giving the reader a look pleading for forgiveness as it sat next to the plate it had broken. That same adorable, apologizing pout was now on Naruto's face. It was all she could do not to squeal and press his head into her humble bosom.

"Oh, Hinata, I'm so sorry! I can't believe I didn't tell you about this, it's such a major detail. I honestly forgot, you have to believe me!"

Hinata brought up a finger to cover Naruto's mouth, stopping him before he could build any more steam. "Don't worry, you're a guy. Of course you didn't think about it. I'm not mad, just curious."

Naruto blushed, and couldn't seem to look her in the eye. She felt his other hand move, and realized he was actually focusing on her navel. His big hand covered almost her entire belly and began to rub. Hinata couldn't believe how sensual it felt. His fingers weren't even near the fun part!

"I don't know if it's taken effect yet, but it definitely will over the next couple of days. Simply put, you're not on a cycle anymore. Your uterus is always going to be thick and ready for implantation. You won't ovulate unless I give a psychic command. For the record, my sperm can change to the chromosome I command them to as well. You'll just keep resetting to a state of hyperfertility, as part of the 'template' I have for you and every other woman I might enthrall. If you're away from me for more than a month, it'll all start up again like usual. So, yeah," Naruto coughed, his face red as the rubies Hinata had spotted some gang leader's concubine wearing one day. "Basically, we don't have to worry about birth control. And you don't have to deal with PMS as long as we're together. And someday, WAY down the line, if we decide to start a family, we can pick the due date and the sex of the baby. Or babies, if you want twins, or maybe triplets, I don't know, it'd be up to you, I'm not going to force you to have a litter or anything…" Naruto began to babble, this subject clearly one he was not comfortable talking about.

Hinata brought her hand down on top of Naruto's. He stopped talking, looking back up at her face. She could see the surprise there, her expression apparently throwing him off. She couldn't honestly say what it was though, her whole focus on just one thing he'd said.

"Naruto," she asked calmly, though her voice wavered slightly, "Are you telling me that Thralls don't get periods?"

He tensed, seemingly preparing for an explosion. "No. No, they don't."

Hinata moved swiftly and with purpose, throwing a leg over Naruto's hip and sitting up. Grabbing his face between her hands, she moved down and gave him the biggest kiss she could. That done, she proceeded to pepper his cheeks, eyes, nose, forehead, and every other piece of him she could with pecks. When she'd made a full circuit back to his lips, she pulled away to look at him. He seemed mildly dazed, and she felt something big and hot poking her lower back. She'd get to that in due time, but she had to say something first.

"Don't forget to mention that to the next girl. It's a HUGE selling point. And you won't need your cum to make me your devoted little plaything, I'm going to be worshipping you from now until the end of time for freeing me from that monthly torture."

Naruto's brow furrowed, his brain starting to reactivate after the short circuit her adoration had caused. "I've heard horror stories, but it can't be THAT bad, can it?"

Hinata leaned back to give him a 'look'. "Guys don't know how good they have it. Maybe it was worse for me than the women you know because I'm from Karron, but periods suck. You have no idea how embarrassing it is to walk around with bloodstains on your crotch because you couldn't afford or find something to soak it up. And pray you never know the pain of having hunger cramps AND menstrual cramps at the same time."

He couldn't hide a grimace. "Right. I'm just going to remember the fact you're not mad about it and delete the rest of this conversation."

"Fine by me," she breathed, leaning down to give him another kiss on his dry, smooth lips. "Although, I will want to revisit a couple topics in the future. Like how a certain hole will always be clean. Or how you can impregnate me with your son or daughter on a whim." She giggled coquettishly, the teasing feeling a lot more natural than yesterday. More evidence of personality shifts, but they were helping her so why get mad? "Your cum's not going to fill my boobs up with milk while it's inflating them, is it? I mean, if you want a handy snack whenever I'm around, that's okay, just warn me before I start leaking unexpectedly."

Naruto's eyes were blazing, and his hands latched onto her hips with an iron grip. She felt a delightful shiver, embracing the knowledge that she wasn't going anywhere without his approval. "You," he growled, the sheer masculine force of the sound reducing her insides to jelly, "are a taunting, tempting, tantalizing little minx who is just BEGGING to be put in her place. And we are going to talk about something else right now before I snap and spend the whole day doing just that."

Hinata had no idea what 'tantalizing' meant, but she decided it was something she'd have to be more often in the future, if it got Naruto into this state. But they still hadn't really TALKED yet, and he seemed determined not to do anything fun until they did, so she dropped the sex kitten act. Except it hadn't really been an act, had it? She LIKED this new version of herself (and wondering if she liked it because he was making her like it would be a pointless, paranoid waste of energy she wasn't going to bother with). Shaking her head, Hinata cast her mind for a less raunchy topic. Though she noted that Naruto's hands were still tight on her.

"I've already signed up for the whole Matriarch thing, but I'd still like to know more about Uzu. You said you had schematics for the tech in your head. How does that even work?"

Naruto's eyes looked up almost into his head, a sign he was thinking. "Well, maybe it's a psychic thing, some astral library that all Uzu have unconscious access to. But that doesn't 'feel' right. My best guess is that it's all encoded into my DNA as binary. The Konoha Federation did that for data storage a couple centuries ago, turning 1's and 0's into A-T and C-G bonds. Somehow my brain must be able to interpret all that as images of the blueprints."

Hinata's mouth twisted like she'd sucked on a lemon. "I'm just going to nod and pretend I understood that. So what kind of tech are we talking about here? And on a completely different note, does the Holonet have cheat sheets for basic education expected from the average citizen?"

Naruto sat up, manipulating Hinata's body like she weighed no more than a feather. He settled her back into his lap, wrapping his arms around her in a hug. She accepted the comfort, trying to fight down the embarrassment and shame of her ignorance. They both were very aware of the fact that his shaft was tucked into the crevasse between her ass cheeks, but neither drew attention to it.

"You're a bright girl, and only going to get brighter. You'll pick up all these facts I take for granted in no time. I'll even help teach you, if you'd like."

"Thanks, but I'd rather do it myself. I'd feel like a little girl asking her dad for help," Hinata pouted.

Naruto spoke without thinking. "Well, I AM old enough to be your father."

Hinata pulled back enough to look him in the face, skepticism clear in her eyes. "Just how old are you, exactly? Because I would have bet money you weren't older than 30."

Naruto blushed. "Actually, I turned 40 a couple months back."

Hinata looked him up and down from her intimately close vantage point. "I'd call bullshit, but you're not Konoha. Maybe Uzu have naturally longer lives even without the immortality thing." She got an impish smile. "If I think you look young for 40, it'll be hilarious seeing what people say when you're over 100!"

Naruto chuckled. "What about you? How's it going to feel when you're a grandmother and people assume you're in your teens?"

Hinata shrugged. "I'll make a bunch of inside GILF jokes with you and the rest of the family, of course. And we're really getting off topic. I don't care about our age difference, I still don't want you teaching me. I can handle myself. And you seem to have forgotten to answer me about the gadgets floating around in that pointy-eared head."

His eyes seemed to flash with a proud, possessive kind of longing when she mentioned 'family'. Hinata felt her juices start to flow, which made the massive pillar she was resting on flex. Naruto's eyes smoldered down at her, but he closed them and breathed deep. When he opened them, he was back in control. Hinata couldn't decide whether to be relieved or disappointed.

"I'm no engineer, so I'm not sure how any of it actually works. I know just enough to tell that it's all radically advanced compared to what I'm used to. The weapons all seem to use the word 'quantum' to describe them, and the power requirements are off the charts. There's a Power Core and Tachyon Drive, plus a monster of a ship to put them in. There's also a Wormhole Generator, so the Tachyon Drive might not even be needed. There's engines and electronics and a bunch of 'ordinary' stuff too, plus some freaky stuff specifically for Thrall and Uzu… 'activities'. To be honest, I have no idea how I'm actually going to get any of it built."

Hinata's mind flashed to the one friend she had, trapped back in the asteroid she'd fled. "It might be a bit early for me to start suggesting other girls to join us, but I know a girl back on Karron. She's brilliant at building things, and that's before your cum goes to work on her. You might not be an engineer, but she definitely is. We could go back and recruit her after we sell the Tyrenium. I know for a fact she'll be onboard with any plan that gets her the hell away from Karron. She'll probably be as grateful to you as I am," she added, grinding down suggestively.

Naruto's neck tensed as he clung to his control. "Is this the same friend who gave you the code to my airlock? If so, then I'd go back for her even if she weren't up for the job. I owe her for helping bring you into my life. And just because she joins the crew doesn't mean she has to join the… family."

Hinata smiled warmly, touched at how considerate her man was. She was also both impressed and annoyed that he didn't immediately latch onto the chance to sleep with another woman with his current lover's approval. It was nice to know he cared for her, but wasn't the whole point of being his Matriarch to help him collect and care for Thralls? "Thanks for that, but being your Thrall is the best thing that could happen for her. She'll take one look at my sexy new bod and be getting down on her knees for you then and there. She's always felt like an ugly duckling; a chance to work with incredibly complicated alien technology AND become beautiful will be too good for her to pass up. Besides, she's a virgin, and I want her to lose it to the best guy in the galaxy. That means she HAS to sleep with you."

Naruto gulped. "Are… are you sure about this? You really trust me enough not just to be with me, but to actually recommend me for your friend? Even knowing… everything?"

Hinata gave him her most comforting smile, and gave him a lingering kiss. "Let me spell this out for you, Naruto. This has been the best morning of my entire life. Just lying in bed with you, talking with you, touching you, has beaten out every morning that came before. I'm not ignoring how big and scary all the Uzu stuff is. But you're worth it. I'm sure of it. Call me naïve and too quick to trust, but you're the best thing that ever happened to me. And you'll be the same for Tenten."

Her man made a choked kind of noise. She noted that his eyes were starting to well up. She closed her eyes and kissed him, giving him time to gather himself while also enjoying the slide of their lips against each other. Hinata did most of the work for a while, but when she felt the strong swipe of his tongue, she knew it was safe to open her eyes. Their gazes met from millimeters away.

'Let me be yours' she tried to make hers say.

She didn't know what he saw, but it made that flicker of doubt he'd been hiding since he'd made his offer finally fade away.

Naruto pulled back. "This is your last chance," he told her solemnly. "I said I could break the bond if that's what you wanted, but once I have you… I'm not sure I'll ever be able to let you go. We do this, and both of our lives are going to change. One way or another, there's no going back. Is this what you want?"

She felt her insides tighten with sweet anticipation. He knew she was going to say yes. She'd been telling him that from the start. And now, he finally believed her. This was just to hear it one last time, a verbal vow of submission to cement the formation of the bond that would link them from now until eternity. He wanted her to look into his eyes and agree to be with him, every single part of him.

She licked her lips, drawing out the motion. "May your loyal Matriarch have breakfast in bed this morning, Naruto?"

His eyes blazed with a mixture of desire and triumph. "Your Uzu master would like nothing more, Hinata."

He dragged her up the length of his cock, making sure she felt every inch as he lifted her ass up. He paused pointedly at her rosebud, then kept lifting until she was hovering directly above his gigantic cock. For a second, she wondered if he would take her then and there. Then he brought the bottom of her slit up against the underside of his mushroom head. He let her oh so slowly slide down, her lower lips dragging down the towering length of his shaft for what felt like hours. Her clit dragged against the hot, pulsing dick, sending sharp, stinging pleasure rushing up into her. Cream began to leak from within her, mixing with the clear honey oozing from his tip, making the journey deliciously smooth and sticky.

She was panting by the time her knees touched the bed again. Naruto moved abruptly, sliding away until his back was against the wall of his bunk. His glorious erection waved in the air between them, gleaming from the combination of their juices. He looked into her eyes, somehow robbing all the strength from her limbs with that one look. He crooked a finger in silent invitation.

She crawled over to him, almost slipping in her haste. From her low angle, she could see his balls were flush against the skin of his sack, having filled to the brim during the night. All that was keeping their delectable contents away from her stomach was her best blowjob. With relish, she wrapped her mouth over the flushed head, her tongue swirling all around to catch every drop that dampened the warm, soft skin.

Hinata delighted in the taste of Naruto's precum. It mixed in pleasant ways with her salty tanginess, resulting in the most indulgent, sinful flavor she'd ever known. She began to feel her mind dim, the blurriness of severe intoxication starting to steal over her. Before she lost herself, she felt a vague tugging sensation. She slowly became aware of something rubbing against her tongue. In a flash of awareness like a shot of adrenaline, Hinata realized Naruto was kissing her.

He pulled back, a stern but caring cast to his face. "Stay with me, Hinata. I want YOU to love me with your mouth, not your body on autopilot. Fight through the haze. Can you do that for me?"

She felt her heart swell with affection, and she set her shoulders determinedly. Bracing herself, she pulled back and lowered her head until his spongy helmet was once again resting on her tongue.

She felt the glide of his body's narcotic lubricant down her throat. Her mind was again tugged down towards a place of pure instinct and raw sensation, but she resisted. She held firm, keeping herself in the moment. She found herself keeping track of Naruto's heartbeats through the surges in the major vein on the underside. She timed her breaths to them, four throbs in, four throbs out, all the while struggling against unconsciousness. With time it grew easier, and the minutes passed in a blur of syncing breath to beat, until Hinata found herself tasting sweetness with no accompanying dullness. Freed from its sedative grip, she could savor the potent tonic even more.

Hinata tilted her head up, looking for Naruto's face. She let their eyes meet, so he could see the clarity in hers.

"Good girl," he crooned, and the fierce pride in his voice almost made her come undone right there.

Focusing back down on his groin, she began to do her very best to make him forget every blowjob he'd had before this one. She pressed him up tight against her palate as she went down, hollowing her cheeks with strong suction on the way back up. Her tongue slid deliberately against the underside where his head met the root of his foreskin, a spot she'd learned from experience was extra sensitive.

"Oh, baby, that feels amazing," Naruto groaned. "It's never been this good before."

Hinata felt a dizzying rush of feminine satisfaction, but did not allow it to interfere with her rhythm. She kept her pace slow but steady, eager for his load but wanting to extend his pleasure as long as possible. In time, he reached her throat. Hinata hesitated. She wanted to go further (and wow, look how much left there was still to go), but her gag reflex had always been too strong.

"Relax," Naruto murmured, his voice low but clear, rumbling from deep in his chest. She was reminded of just how big and strong and male he was, hearing that voice in her ear while his cock was heavy in her mouth. "You've done it before, you just don't remember. Trust your body to be able to pleasure me. Know that I won't let anyone hurt you, not even yourself and especially not me. Take it slow and let it happen. Be my good girl, honey."

Fears soothed by his confidence, Hinata closed her eyes and pushed forward.

It was a curious experience, feeling her tonsils be forced wide by the thick intrusion. Her air was cut off, but she seemed to be able to last much longer on a breath than she remembered. She kept going, making extra sure her teeth were clear as he thickened near the base. After an eternity and yet in no time at all, her nose was pressed up against the valley at the base of his abdomen. Her eyes drank in the sharp lines of his Adonis belt, marveling at the peaks of his abs, noticing just how cute his belly button was.

Keeping one hand down to support her body, Hinata brought up her palm to stroke her throat. She could clearly feel where his shaft had forced her body wide to make room for him, the throbbing of it barely detectable against her fingers. In her throat, the twitches were like the banging of a gong, each vibration emanating from a spot just behind her heart, almost all the way to her stomach. She had never felt so complete as she did in that moment, her body embracing every bit of his manhood. She tried swallowing, and distinctly heard Naruto whimper.

Her ego swelled further than Naruto's member.

Almost reluctant, despite the steadily louder demands from her lungs for air, Hinata pulled back, releasing him from the grip of her esophagus. When it was just his head in her mouth again, she looked back up. She didn't even feel the need to cough, air flowing smoothly down her recently vacated throat.

His face humbled her, the look of rapture and delight driving home just how much power she had over him in that moment. He was the strongest man she had ever seen, and she had rendered him helpless with the caress of her throat. He could have just rammed himself in, kept the control and used her like a toy. Instead, he had put his faith in her, leaving himself vulnerable for her to do with as she pleased. This was a sex act that focused just on him, giving no significant pleasure to her, and yet his surrender was the most empowering, exhilarating gift he could have given her. He had trusted her with his ship, his food, his secrets, his bed, and now his body. Her, the nobody orphan from a rock at the edge of the galaxy.

Determined to pay him back, she reached up to cup his quad, the weighty orbs almost overflowing her hand. Breathing deep into the bottom of her lungs, pushing her tongue as far as she could through the gap between his hard meat and her bottom lip, she sank down on him to the root.

Naruto shouted, apparently not prepared for the rush of sensation. Pressing down so far her nose smooshed up against his pelvis, Hinata tried to touch her tongue to her fingers or palm. Five seconds later, she pulled back to refresh her oxygen levels, and then did it again. And then again.

Hinata kept at it, fucking herself on Naruto's big cock, milking him with her tight throat and worshipping him with her wet tongue. Naruto was beyond words at that point, shouts and cries that could be mistaken for pain coming out of him with her every move. One of his broad, strong hands came down on her head. Not to guide, but just to give him something to hold on to. She maintained her oral lovemaking despite the weight, enjoying how small she felt beneath his grip.

After long enough for Hinata to conclude that Naruto would never be accused of being 'quick on the draw', her efforts bore fruit. He bellowed like a wild beast, his hips thrusting forward for the first time, pushing up against the cushion of her lips with jerky, thoughtless movements. She felt his quad jump and contract in her hands, and she felt the rush of liquid warmth deep in her stomach. She reached the point she considered 'full' and blew past it, the thick plug in her throat forcing her stomach to get creative. She sensed it expanding, until she could feel the sheets of the bed brushing her belly. Her thighs moved wider, forced to spread by the gravid sphere that was appearing above them. When the throbbing died down in her throat, Hinata slowly pulled back, making sure to suck like she was using a blocked straw. She finally got to the tip, and separated with the sense of leaving a dear new friend.

Hinata swirled the white cream in her mouth, finally tasting Naruto's seed and not just his secretions. It was still just as sweet, but richer and more layered, and thick enough to hold up a spoon. If his precum was like syrup, his real cum was how she'd always imagined ice cream or cake and frosting.

Gulping down her treat, well worth the work to get it, the bloated girl looked up to see why Naruto was so quiet.

The sight took her breath away.

Naruto was glowing. Light emanated from his skin as if he were a bonfire, the brilliant white looking almost solid. It wrapped around him like a cloak, yet it left him nude. Swirls and eddies within the brightness made her think of smoke, twisting and undulating to the whims of an invisible force. It was otherworldly, making the man appear like an angel descended from Heaven, clean and pure and divine, striking against the dull mortal world around him.

Hinata noted all that from the edges of her vision. It was fascinating, but not nearly as captivating as Naruto's face.

His EYES… Hinata had heard of the Big Bang, an explosion of pure energy that had given violent birth to the universe, leaving primordial elements in its wake that had eventually coalesced into stars and planets. Looking into Naruto's eyes was like looking at that, all the light and power and majesty of all that was and ever would be contained within those orbs. They were blinding, the flesh that made them up invisible past the glaring beams of… she couldn't even describe it. The closest she could think of was when she closed her eyes tight and spots appeared in the blackness. It was light and darkness, the two not wrapped around each other but ONE. It was also color, every color of the rainbow and beyond, every color that Hinata had ever imagined and several that were new to her. It was… the essence of everything. It was visual nirvana, the best her eyes could do to translate a glimpse at a higher plane, something she simply could not comprehend. She supposed it looked 'white' if she had to put a name to it, but that was only because the infinite shades bled into each other until all that was left was clear, searing illumination. And yet, each component was still sharply distinct, if she just looked a little closer. It was the sum of its parts, the sum of ALL parts, and yet something distinct in and of itself.

But even that wasn't what Hinata focused on.

It was his smile. Hinata didn't know that expression was even possible. How could a simple rearrangement of facial muscles convey something so deep, so profound, something that needed no words to communicate? She looked at Naruto's face, and she saw CLARITY. She saw someone that, after years of doubt and contemplation, had been shown TRUTH. She saw PEACE, a certainty of exactly what one was and one's place in the world. She saw AWARENESS, ACCEPTANCE, UNDERSTANDING.

Hinata felt like she was watching a blind man who had just been shown the face of God. Or perhaps a god just made aware of his own omnipotence.

She wasn't sure what made her faint, the overwhelming beauty of the scene or the fact she forgot to breathe. All she knew was that one moment she was marveling at a miracle from inches away, and the next she was on her side, a hand gently cupping her face and the most important voice in the world in her ear.

"Hinata? Hinata, honey, wake up. Please wake up. I need you back. I need you here with me."

Hinata forced her eyes open, unable to remember when they'd closed. She looked up and saw Naruto hovering over her. He looked normal again, and for a second she wondered if it had been a dream. But there was a brightness in his eyes, a glimmering shadow of that ephemeral substance. And even though his expression was one of concern, she could swear she saw an echo of that moment of enlightenment, a mark that seeped into every inch of his face like the imprint of a fossil. She'd only met Naruto yesterday, but she could tell that he was now a changed man.

"I'm okay," she mumbled, her mouth feeling oddly numb. In fact, she felt detached from her whole body. She recalled feeling like this once, when she was still barely more than a child. She'd just been raped for the first time, too innocent and unwary to realize what was happening until it was past the point of no return. She had stumbled through the tunnels like a ghost afterwards, feeling like she'd float away with the barest touch. She'd found herself at a fire barrel, someone willing to risk the air purity in exchange for warmth. She'd huddled near it, the other people too tired or apathetic to drive her away. The warmth had given her something to hold on to, something to remind her where her body was. "Shock" one of the vagrants had muttered, casting a knowing look at her. It hadn't been said with sympathy, though, more with anticipation of looting her corpse if she succumbed. She'd held on long enough for her feet to feel the ground again, and then she'd left.

Hinata shook herself out of the memory from her bleak past. Shock, then. No wonder Naruto was worried. He'd probably seen this a lot. He'd been a marine, right? People who got shot went into shock all the time.

"I'm okay," she said again, trying to sit up. She didn't want him to worry, and if she'd survived this back then, she'd survive it now. Besides, the feeling was already seeping back into her limbs. She brushed a hand over her stomach, feeling how round it still was, and felt reassured that she'd be fine. His cum would heal her, was healing her that very moment.

Naruto's hands swept over her, taking over and completing her feeble motions. She found herself leaning back into his chest, his legs pressed against the outside of hers, his chin resting on her crown. His hands were wrapped around her waist, cupping her bump from above and below. Feeling the iron bars of his arms below her breasts and above her hips, his massive hands cradling the sphere of her abdomen, Hinata felt utterly protected. She couldn't see Naruto's face like this, but she was so aware of him behind and around her, she didn't need to. She relaxed against him, sinking into his warm embrace.

"Sorry if I worried you," she mumbled, trying very hard to not fall asleep. Shock was like a concussion, sleeping was bad, right?

She felt a warm touch to her head and heard the soft 'chu' of a kiss. She instantly felt better, just knowing that someone was there to care for her, held her in such high esteem to touch lips to even the non-sexy parts of her.

"I was a bit alarmed, I'll admit. I knew you weren't injured, not really, but it scared me how you didn't wake up right away," he breathed into her ear.

"I was just… unprepared for what I saw," she said delicately, trying to phrase it so he'd know she didn't blame him while trying not to acknowledge there was any blame in the first place.

He chuckled dryly, squeezing her even tighter. "I can only imagine what I looked like, but I know how I felt. I don't think anyone can really prepare for something like that."

"So… it worked? I'm your Matriarch now? You've got your powers?" Hinata asked, eager to move past her moment of weakness and also to see the results of… what she was just going to remember as the 'Bonding Incident'.

She could FEEL Naruto's smile, its presence tangible in the air and the subtle shifts in how he held her. He brought up one of his hands, making a grabbing motion. Her eyes just about popped out of her head when she saw the glass from last night lift up into the air. It floated over from the nightstand to an alcove in the wall, landing underneath a small spout. Hinata saw a button depress, and clear water began to fill the glass. Once it was full, the glass again floated up, in defiance of gravity. It came over to them, wobbling a couple times but not spilling a drop. Naruto caught it from the air and then offered it to her.

*Does that answer your question? *

Hinata was still too weary for sudden movements, which probably saved them from the water soaking them. She'd heard Naruto's voice, clear as a bell, in her head. And yet it hadn't been 'sound', not filtering through her ears from vibrations in the air. It was pure thought, a stream of concepts and ideas that her mind had framed with language out of habit more than any real need.

"Show-off," she muttered, trying to cover her awe with humor. She took a sip from the glass, the water feeling refreshing and much cleaner than any she'd had on Karron. Experimentally, she thought deliberately *So, how does this work? Are you just constantly plugged into my head, or is it more like you're whispering in my ear and can tune in to what I'm muttering under my breath? No one ever told me the rules for mind-reading. *

Naruto laughed, free and clear. She'd never heard him sound so unreserved, not even when he'd been writhing from her touch. "It depends," he said aloud, using the hand that had moved the glass without touching it to rub her temple. "Telepathy can get complicated in the more advanced forms, but the basics are simple. With other psychics, it's just another kind of voice. Most set up a mind-shield, a kind of mental barrier so others can't hear their every thought and they don't pick up every projected thought from those around them. A standard telepathic conversation is like a holo-call, one party asking to be let in and the other granting access. Non-psychics like Konoha can't project a voice. But, if you know what you're doing, you can tap into their minds anyway and hear their stream of thought."

Naruto's hand wandered south, feeling her throat move as she drank more water. Hinata distinctly felt something poke her butt, and fought the urge to snicker. Here he was, giving her the low down on a mythic power he suddenly had that only a select few possessed, and he was getting distracted by her body.

"Are you complaining? It's a nice body, especially with these extra curves," Naruto purred, rubbing a circle around her convex belly.

Hinata felt oddly mortified. "You heard that?"

"As I was about to say, our kind of Telepathy is a little different. For most, distance is a factor; most aren't strong enough to maintain a mental connection further than a few hundred meters. You and I, on the other hand, are bound across the Astral Plane. That's a whole other conversation, but it's basically a parallel dimension made almost entirely of psychic energy. In our case, our minds are linked like two computers by a fiber-optic cable. We could talk to each other from opposite sides of a system if we wanted to. And it's not just thoughts, it's emotions too. Furthermore, we both can only 'hear' what the other is 'broadcasting'. Right now, since you aren't psychic and can't control it, you're broadcasting everything. I thought you wouldn't want to deal with everything in my head as soon as you woke up, so I'm keeping quiet. Except for when I 'showed off'."

Hinata finished her water while Naruto was explaining. In a fit of whimsy, she balanced the glass on the top of her belly. Naruto snorted, then took it and set it on the floor. "If it really bothers you, I'll tune you out and give you privacy. But I'd kind of like it if I could keep listening. It's amazing, hearing your thoughts, seeing the world through your eyes." His grip on her tightened. "Do you want me to kill him?"

Hinata blinked, thrown off by the random question. "Kill who?"

"The fucking piece of shit who forced himself on you when you were only 12," he growled, sounding like a bloodthirsty animal. "It wouldn't be a bother, really. I'd actually enjoy the experience, I think."

Hinata realized with a jerk that he'd been hearing her every thought since she'd woken up. He'd heard about the rape while she was reflecting on her shock.

She couldn't tell whether to be touched Naruto made the offer or alarmed at how eager he sounded to commit homicide. Realizing he was hearing all this, she decided to just think aloud. "It'd be pretty hard to track him down. I didn't really see his face, and it's been years. You'd be better off tracking down and killing every rapist in Karron than narrowing down that specific guy. And while that would certainly clean things up around there, even those good-for-nothing security guards wouldn't turn a blind eye to mass murder. It's not worth the trouble you'd get into. It happened, it sucked, it's behind me." Hinata shamelessly arched her body into Naruto's, thrusting out her chest and bump. "I'd rather focus on building a future with you than cleaning up the past."

His hand cupped her chin and he tilted her head until their eyes met. She was again struck by the subtle but obvious differences since they'd bonded. It was like the Naruto she met yesterday had been dreaming, moving and talking in his sleep, blind to the world around him. Now, he was awake, fresh and clear and hyperaware of his surroundings. He was just MORE now.

His lips twitched, but he kept a somber expression on his face. "I promise you, on my life, that will never happen to you again. Whatever happens with us, whatever life throws our way, NO ONE will ever hurt you like that again."

Hinata felt like her heart was melting like iron in a smelter. Remembering that he could feel it too, she focused on it, letting it fill her up. "Thank you." She felt ice creep up her spine as a thought crossed her mind. "And I promise you'll never be hurt like that ever. I know it seems ridiculous in your case, but I'll watch out for you too."

Naruto's eyes softened, and he leaned down to kiss her deep and slow. She sank into it, offering up everything without hesitation. With his body all but surrounding hers, and his mind laced with hers, she felt completely owned by him. It was the sweetest surrender she'd ever known, sacrificing all control, trusting that he would not abuse it. She had never felt safer than she did right now, completely at his mercy.

He pulled back, his eyes shining with delight and affection, and she somehow knew he felt HONORED by her submission to him. "It's real, Hinata," he breathed, his voice filled with wonder. "I knew it was, but I FEEL it now. It's all there, all the power, I just have to reach out and take it." His gaze turned into one of awe, as if she were the incredible one of the two of them. "I can feel our bond. I see it, right there in my mind. It's different from how it's supposed to be, just like I wanted. You're my equal, not my pet. I can feel YOU, my essence inside you. You're shining like a star. I can feel every part of you, every hurt and flaw, and I can fix it. I can make you PERFECT," he whispered, as if stunned by his own words.

Hinata shivered. "I don't need to be perfect," she told him. "Just make me perfect for you. That's all I want."

He gave her a heartbreakingly sweet smile. He kissed her again, and for a brief second, Hinata felt a FLOOD of amazement, adoration, and bliss. It was gone before she could even attempt to process it, but she realized what it was. It was how Naruto felt, holding her right now. She felt it settle into her bones in that moment, the absolute knowledge that Naruto treasured her. It wasn't quite love, she didn't think, but it soon would be. All she had to do was be willing to receive it. And she would, with the vow to forever strive to be worthy of that priceless gift.

Naruto ended the kiss, grinning down at her fondly. "You have it the other way around, sweetheart. Before I met you, I was like a ghost wandering through the mist. You brought me to life. And I'm not just talking about my powers. You, Hyuuga Hinata, have made my life better for being in it. I'll never be able to repay what you've given me, but I intend to spend the rest of my life trying."

Hinata felt like a balloon about to pop. Surely no person could feel this much joy. "I know it sounds silly, but do you think you waited so long because, somehow, you knew it'd be me?"

Naruto curled over her, rubbing their noses together in an incredibly intimate gesture. "There's a myth, back on Konoha. It says that mankind used to have two heads, four arms, and four legs. The gods looked at them and feared their immense power. So, they split each one in half, that their power would be divided. And from that moment on, each person was cursed to forever be searching for their other half, the one that would make them whole again. Like two jigsaw pieces, looking for the one whose whorls and edges would perfectly match up."

He kissed her forehead and tucked his nose into her hair, breathing deep. "I don't know if that's true. But the man in me feels like he's met his match in the woman in you. No one before you has fit me like you do. It'll be a bit different for us, since I'm an Uzu. We're already complete, but we'll keep on adding other pieces to our puzzle. I just want you to know, however big and twisted and complicated that puzzle gets, it'll have us at its heart. And that's already perfect."

Hinata had never cried like this. There were no heaving sobs, no snot, no burning sensation in her eyes. It was more like she was so incredibly happy, it was just overflowing from her eyes.

"I'll take that as a yes."

Naruto hugged her tight. They cuddled there, two souls brought together by chance… or fate.

"Huh," he huffed, noticing something.

"What?" Hinata asked, too comfortable to look.

"According to the chronometer, it's just over 24 hours since we first met."

The Matriarch sighed into her Uzu's shoulder.

"Best day ever."


	3. Chapter 3

**If curious About where i got The Ideas For This, just Google "Tefler" and fall down the rabbit hole.**

* * *

Naruto hugged Hinata closer to his chest, trying to maximize how much of their skin was touching. She was so small and frail, in sharp, thrilling contrast to his own sturdy bulk. Idle, dreamlike mutterings filled his head, her thoughts quiet and sleepy after the intense events of the morning. A small but powerful core of happiness reverberated over their link like birdsong, harmonizing with chords of peace and sweet tones of affection.

Naruto had never felt closer to another person, wrapped around her in both body and mind.

Naruto breathed deep, filling his lungs with the familiar scents of his cabin and the new but welcome fragrance of the bluenette teenager. Like all his senses since regaining consciousness, smells seemed much more clear and distinct than he remembered. His nose could pick out the individual ingredients of the organic shower gel he preferred from the traces of it on his and Hinata's skin. He could tell without even looking that he'd missed a couple drops of blood on his pull-up bar from the last time he popped a blister. He could separate the steel from the brass from the chrome wafting from his weapons locker like picking individual flowers out of a bouquet. Aromas he was sure he wouldn't have been able to detect yesterday were now as blaring and recognizable as if he'd lit a scented candle for each one.

And that was just his sense of smell. He could see the weave and weft of his sheets, despite the threads being thin as hairs. He could tell the buzz of the electrical circuits from the hum of the engine like different sections of an orchestra. The wispy tendrils of the air tickled his skin like the dancing fingers of a talented masseuse. Naruto hadn't been able to test it yet, but he was sure his taste was similarly amplified. The amount of information and input from the world around him had at least doubled. It should have been overwhelming, debilitating, but his mind felt... bigger. Or perhaps like some boundary he'd never known was there had vanished, giving him room to expand upwards and outwards. The barrage coming from his senses was being handled so effortlessly he didn't even feel it.

Despite his newly enhanced perception, it was still a pale shadow, a tiny pinprick, an infinitesimal sliver of the… KNOWING he'd felt when he… ascended.

No amount of imagining or worrying could have prepared him for that moment. He'd been panting, right on the edge of release from Hinata's incredible deepthroating. And boy, was that a memory he'd be reliving and recreating for ages to come. He had no idea what he'd been missing out on, enjoying only the mindless attentions of those intoxicated by his precum. Words couldn't describe how much more satisfying it was to have an active partner, one with her own style that could react to his pleasure and alter technique from moment to moment. In a lot of ways, it felt like his first 'real' blowjob.

Anyway, he'd been seconds from busting, unable to focus on anything but the pressure in his balls and the tingling pleasure vibrating deep in his brain. Finally, the threshold was reached, and he'd orgasmed. And that's where things had gotten… weird. It was almost like the exploding white-out he was used to had flung him out of his body. There was a sensation of flying, though he couldn't for the life of him say in what direction. For all he knew, he could have been soaring at a standstill.

And then, for a brief, fleeting, abrupt eternity, he had KNOWN. The veil had lifted, and the infinite majesty of all of reality was made clear to Naruto.

He KNEW the physical and the psychic, the concrete and the abstract, the absolute and the ephemeral. Matter and energy danced in a kaleidoscopic ballad, meeting and embracing and departing to the tune and rhythm of the music Naruto understood as the 'scientific laws'. He felt the gravity, saw the opalescent spectrum of electromagnetism, tasted the infinite variety of quarks and the countless structures they assembled. Hidden within that symphony was a tune that kept its own beat, discordant and out-of-key to the order around it, and yet beautiful in its own right. The intangible yet undeniable substance of thought, the flickering susurrus of dreams, the abyssal depths and heavenly heights of willpower. These wove in and out with the established patterns of the universe with no rhyme or reason, heedless of anything, crafting something completely separate out of the very same notes and dancers that made up the material world. Yet somehow, rather than causing all the rest to collapse into chaos, the two mixed in a paradoxical harmony that was somehow more beautiful for being so incompatible. In that moment, Naruto understood that psionics didn't 'break' the rules; they were a completely different game, just played on the same board.

In that endless, timeless splendor, he found himself and KNEW.

He could see his body, a massive machine comprised of trillions of parts, a design so complex that it was no wonder it took billions of years to emerge from the slow but patient process of evolution. He saw all the secret tools and functions of his genetic code, hidden in plain sight in every nucleus. He'd been aware of them, but unable to access them. He hadn't known how, or perhaps he had but had forgotten long ago. But in that moment of clarity, the way was revealed.

He could FEEL his mind. Strange. He'd always thought he was his mind. But no, he was his SOUL. He saw it, in the way one sees a movement from the corner of their eye. It was him, and he was it; a… SOMETHING that defied explanation and had no need to be explained, tethered to the 'real' world by a vessel of living meat. His mind was the bridge between two worlds, between the grey matter of his brain and the otherworldly ether of his astral being. He saw each memory, from the feel of his Grandmother hugging him to the quadratic formula, woven together by emotion and instinct. It shifted even as he watched, rearranging itself, growing and shrinking, glowing and dimming; yet it seemed bound to some underlying structure, some core pattern it could never fully break from without fundamentally changing into something else.

Naruto saw the shape of himself, and he realized the truth. Every choice he'd ever made had been no choice at all. It was simply the inevitable conclusion; the result of his core being reacting to the environment and circumstances. Naruto could not tell if it had all been planned, but he KNEW that all that was, is, and will be was as simple as a domino chain. Each player in the universal dance was just bouncing off each other in their own unique, predictable way. If you KNEW, if you UNDERSTOOD each part of the song, the result was clear as day. Naruto's journey had been set in motion the day he was born, or maybe before that, and he'd joined in the twisting, interlocking, ever-moving chaos that was only chaos when you couldn't see all the pieces. Whether positioned by divine purpose or sheer chance, Naruto knew where he started, and where he would finish. The path was right there, standing out among the mandala of spacetime like an abstract pattern in a painting.

In that moment, Naruto saw his destiny, all he had to do, all he wanted and needed and how to get it, every life he would touch and the lives that would touch him.

Naruto… KNEW.

And then it was over.

Naruto sank down from the higher plane he'd found himself on like waking from a dream. His vision clouded, what was sharp and defined fading to dim vagaries. Absolute knowledge slipped from his mind, leaving no trace it had ever been. Memories of the experience popped like bubbles, destroyed even as he reached for them. He blinked, and he was just a man in his bed once more.

Though, there was ONE key difference. He was no longer just a man. He was an Uzu.

His powers thrummed deep inside him, and for the first time in his life he truly felt… himself. Naruto had known they were there for years, but he'd known it the way he 'knew' that Mt. Everest was the tallest mountain on Konoha. Now, it was as if he were standing on the summit, looking out at the horizon, feeling the ache in his muscles from the arduous climb, and the truth of the fact had sunk into his bones.

Naruto felt each of them, the shape and position of every psychic capability. Certain similarities seemed to leap out of him amongst the whole, and with a jolt he realized they were arranged like a skill tree, just like any RPG he'd ever seen or played. Some powers were built on simpler ones, and proficiency at the base would pay off at the peak. He could tell, in that same instinctual way he could read Uzu runes, that he could choose to use any one of the powers whenever he wanted. The question would be if he had the energy or mental strength to carry it out. He wouldn't be shooting lasers from his eyes for a while, at least not if he wanted to do it safely. He'd have to start at the most basic and work his way up. But mastery was just a matter of time. Let him put in the hours to learn and train, work on expanding his energy reserves, and one day he could terraform a planet with nothing but a thought.

Were Naruto a typical Uzu, he probably would have started cackling. As it was, he had to swallow a humbling fear alongside a surge of excitement.

"Naruto?"

Naruto snapped himself out of his reflecting, focusing on the lovely girl in his arms.

"What is it, honey?"

She twisted in his hold, so that she was now facing him instead of leaning back. Her belly was still rounded from that fateful third orgasm that had started his whole episode. Its curve brushed up against the cobblestones of his abs, soft feminine flesh meeting hard masculine muscle. Seated like this, her eyes were about level with his collarbone. She had to crane her neck to meet his gaze, and he delighted in the feeling of power his height gave him.

Naruto reminded himself that she wanted to talk and dialed down his libido. He couldn't shut it off entirely though, and wasn't sure he even wanted to.

Focus, Uzumaki.

Her eyes were narrowed. "Don't you already know what I'm going to ask?". The words were teasing, but there was some genuine confusion there too.

Naruto chuckled. "I'm hearing your every thought, dear. That doesn't necessarily mean I'm paying attention to them. If I'm distracted, some things might slip through. Give me a few days to figure out how to juggle two streams of consciousness at the same time. I'm new to this, remember?"

"Distracted? What could possibly be more interesting than my mind?" she asked with fake effrontery, sliding just a little bit closer. Given their proximity, a certain pole was achingly close to a certain hole.

Naruto groaned and tried to reign himself in. "Hinata, please."

"Begging already?" she teased, dissolving into giggles. The sound of them mixed with the humor she was unconsciously broadcasting at full volume to prompt a glowing cocktail of joy in Naruto's own chest. Wow. Going to have to get a handle on that if he wanted to stay tuned into her 24/7. It wouldn't do for her every mood to set him off in a tailspin. Naruto reveled in the intimacy of feeling Hinata's emotion alongside his own, but if there was one thing he valued most in himself, it was discipline.

"Weren't you going to ask me something?"

She bit her lip. "I was just wondering… can you let me into your thoughts? I know I might not be able to hear them yet, but I feel a little exposed with it just being me."

Naruto fought down an instinctive denial. He trusted her, and he'd be a hypocrite to listen to her while refusing to let her hear him. "Sure thing." With that, Naruto cautiously 'opened' the door he'd slammed shut on his connection to Hinata.

The teenager's eyes lit up with wonder. "Wow," she breathed, eyes far away as, presumably, she began to hear his inner voice. "You REALLY want to fuck me, don't you?"

Naruto grinned cockily. "Can you blame me?"

"Don't worry stud, the feeling's mutual." She grinned, then her focus drifted again. "Your voice is so… light. It's warm and soft and kind. How could you ever think you were bad, Naruto?"

He withheld a grimace. Wordlessly, he brought up the memory of his Guide. The rage and hate that radiated off him, the savagery of his actions, the unquestionably evil man wearing Naruto's face, meant to mold him into exactly the same.

Hinata shivered. "Oh, God… no wonder you're scared of the Uzu."

"I'm scared of me, too," he admitted. "I saw what I could become, in another life. Now I do everything I can to make sure I'm nothing like that. Maybe I try too hard, at the cost of my happiness and peace of mind. And the only reason I'm admitting this out loud is because you already know."

Hinata hugged herself to him, the caress somehow maternal despite their age difference. "Shush. It's okay. I get it, now. And trust me, Naruto, you are NOTHING like your Guide. Maybe you could be, but you would have to go out of your way a whole awful lot, because right here, right now, you are the best man I've ever met."

Naruto let the tears come. He could _feel_ her sincerity, the utter conviction in the truth of her words. He could claim it was just the personality shifts in effect, but that didn't make it a lie. She meant what she said. Hyuuga Hinata thought he was a good man.

The moment was ruined by the roar of an animal. Or at least something that sounded like one.

Hinata pulled back. "Oh, shit, you haven't eaten this morning! Get up, get up, we're feeding you right now!"

Naruto let her haul him up and lead him to the rec room with amusement. *There's something backwards about this* he projected at her.

She paused, furrowing her brows. *Are you kidding? You're Daddy, I'm Mommy, and I need you full and strong, so you can protect me and the little one!* She patted her rotund belly at the right time.

He hauled her into a kiss, unable to help himself. "All in good time, Hinata. All in good time. Now let's get some food in me so I can spend the rest of the day rewarding my beautiful Matriarch for such an excellent job."

Girlish giggles filled the Fool's Gold.

Naruto grabbed the food from his stores, sitting down to eat it as fast as he could. Since he didn't need his mouth to speak to Hinata, their conversation continued uninterrupted.

"Say, Naruto. I really don't care, and I hope you don't either, but I'm curious. How many women have you been with?" Hinata asked, swinging her feet in her chair and rubbing her plump paunch.

Naruto did some quick arithmetic as he reviewed his memories. *I'd say about… high forties, low fifties before I met you.*

Hinata perked up. "Wait a second… what was that at the end? You tried to hide something."

Naruto swallowed and sighed. "Look, it's not that I don't trust you. I just don't know how you'll react. People can feel rather strongly about this kind of thing."

Hinata was a bright girl, and the past few hours had been all she'd thought about. Combined with the flicker of thought, she put the pieces together. "Oh. You're bi. That's why you avoided using pronouns."

Naruto shrugged, taking a bite to put off talking.

"Naruto, relax. I really don't mind. It's kind of hot, actually."

*Really?* he thought, still chewing, remembering how other women and men had reacted in the past to learning he didn't swing exclusively one way.

"Sure. I mean, it turns you on to think of two women together. Trust me, it goes both ways. At least, it does for me." Hinata grinned saucily. "So, am I going to be 'looking after' some male Thralls too at some point?"

"Probably, but not that many, I don't think. I'm a Kinsey 1, maybe a 2 at most. Nearly every woman can catch my eye in some way, but it takes a certain kind of man to get me going. You women will probably always outnumber us men, as we start to grow our little family."

Hinata hummed to herself. "Now that I think about it, why wouldn't all Uzu be bisexual? If you're going to enslave a species, why exclude half? It just makes sense to enthrall all of them, so why only the women?"

"I don't know. There's evidence that homosexuality is genetic, so maybe I'm the first to 'mutate'. All I know is that according to my Uzu memories, all the Thrall equipment is designed for females. There's nothing for male Thralls, so I assumed that on top of being all male, Uzu are strictly hetero. I'm a freak among freaks."

Hinata vividly imagined slapping him. "Don't talk like that. I told you already, I won't allow you to be mean to yourself. I get you have issues, everyone does. But Naruto, for my sake if nothing else, cut down on the self-loathing. I feel it too, and it's not nice."

Naruto let her feel his contrition. "Sorry, baby. I forgot. I just… my grandparents were conservative. They weren't intolerant or anything, but I picked up a few things growing up without even thinking about it. Even though I enjoy it and intellectually know there's nothing wrong with it, part of me still feels that my experiences with men were 'wrong'."

"Well, that's hardly fair, considering you plan to see me dyke out with countless beautiful girls eventually. Will me experiences with them be 'wrong'?" she challenged.

"No, not wrong. Naughty, on the other hand…" he said leadingly. "Seriously though, I'll work on it. Is… is that something you'd be okay with? Me being with other men, you being with me and another man?"

"Are you kidding? It's fucking hot!" she giggled. "It's just going to be a giant orgy in our bedroom every night once we start expanding the crew, isn't it? And it would get annoying, all of us ladies having to share just one cock, even if it was your monster."

Naruto's mind went to a section of his powers 'labeled' as Psychic Constructs.

Hinata's grin became downright wicked. The string of mental images she sent back to Naruto almost made him choke.

"You are the perfect woman," he breathed in awe.

"Give it a few more days. Isn't that what you said?"

Naruto mentally tracked the progress of her 'healing', looking at the mental representation of her in his mind and the work his little swimmers were doing on her physique. "A week, if you get three 'meals' a day. Less if I actively invest energy into the process."

"Don't wear yourself out." She quirked her lips in a truly sinful expression. "That's my job."

Naruto decided he'd eaten enough.

He scooped Hinata up into a bridal carry. She shrieked at the sudden shift in position, before her mouth was assaulted by hungry lips and questing tongue. Going by memory, Naruto led them back to his cabin, not letting up on kissing the wonderful girl in his arms. He laid her down on the bed, crawling over her to completely cover her. They both moaned in delight, exulting in the closeness and thrill of possibilities the position afforded.

It felt amazing, even just kissing was incredibly pleasurable. Neither realized the reason until Naruto went to play with one of Hinata's nipples and felt a phantom sensation on his own breast.

They pulled apart with a gasp.

"Was that…" Naruto asked, eyes wide with shock.

Hinata, curious, reached up to cup her modest 28A breasts, fingers tweaking the areola. Naruto shivered, feeling a strangely intense tingle in his own nubs.

"Psychic sex is going to be _awesome_," Hinata declared.

Comfortable in knowing the source of the foreign feeling, Naruto smiled down at her like a gourmet admiring a feast. "Let's find out."

They spent hours just touching, simple caresses and kisses made exquisite by the mutual pleasure. It was frighteningly intense, but they continued, relying on their young but resilient trust in each other, giving everything over to the other. It was truly otherworldly, exponentially more than an ordinary sexual encounter. Naruto took pleasure from touching Hinata, as she took pleasure in touching Naruto. Simultaneously, Naruto felt his own touch against his own body, just as Hinata felt her own touch. Each caress was reflected and rebounded, echoing against each other and combining into a thunderous roar. Naruto had had sex, actual penetrative sex, that did not feel as good as tonguing Hinata's navel as she rubbed his neck and combed his hair.

The first orgasm was breathtaking, both for its suddenness and its oddity. Hinata finally crested from the sheer amount of overwhelming sensation, sending her pussy into jolts and contractions as her nectar overflowed. Naruto shuddered, experiencing for the first time a woman's climax. It was distinctly different from his own. Naruto's release felt like a rush of energy, filling him and emptying him all at once, centered on his throbbing cock. Hinata's was very different. It was more like an explosion, as if energy had gathered into one point and then blown apart, spreading to every corner of her body. It was the difference between a tsunami and an earthquake. He felt a hollow ache in his groin. He hadn't cum, but he felt strangely aroused, as if the fire had been both stoked and tempered.

Naruto's readiness continued to escalate as his mouth finally found that weeping mound, those glistening lips. Hinata trembled and cried out as he used every trick he knew to eke out her pleasure, his technique constantly refined by his own feedback. With each peak she reached, his own seemed further away, his own enjoyment constantly getting fed but not sated. It was as if his pleasure was a wave, steadily building with each strike of Hinata's delight and yet the shore moving further and further away. He could feel it building, higher and higher, and yet the crest never came.

Finally, half out of his mind with unslaked lust, Naruto lined his angry cock with Hinata's gates. With a nod and whispered "Please,", Naruto thrust in to the hilt. His battering ram of male flesh was briefly hindered by her cervix, but the tight ring unfurled before his unyielding drive until Naruto's head brushed the back of Hinata's womb. Her ribbed walls were forced wide, straining to contain his massive girth, his quad slapping against her toned ass cheeks as he throbbed and twitched in her most sacred, secret place.

Naruto roared. At last, he knew rapture. His balls, taut and swollen and aching, finally ejected their contents into a warm, waiting vessel. His hypersensitive cock spasmed, each spurt of sperm-laden spunk rushing up through his prick to shoot out into Hinata's deepest depths. On and on it went, a flood of seed rushing out into ready, receptive woman. Hinata screamed out, her body consumed by the most all-consuming surge of carnal satisfaction, every cell in her body coming alive for one, perfect moment.

Naruto's significant girth effectively plugged Hinata. Unable to seep out, his semen was packed tighter and tighter into Hinata's tunnels, her body having to rearrange itself to make room for all the new content. Her tummy, which had begun to slim down, ballooned outwards as she was pumped full to the brim. They remained locked together, frozen in utter ecstasy, as the orgasm oh so slowly ebbed down to a trickle. In the end, they sat there panting, Naruto's exhausted cock beginning to shrink, the head slipping back past her innermost barrier which closed up tight behind it.

Naruto collapsed to the side, Hinata turning with him, so she could continue to enjoy the feel of him filling her up. They gasped and heaved for breath, the room silent but for their gasps.

*… We are doing that again. And again, and again and again, until the day we die.* Hinata decided.

*Give me a chance to recover, babe. That was the biggest nut I've ever busted. I'm afraid to check if my quad exploded,* Naruto sent back.

Her hand slipped down, cupping the life-giving orbs in their loose hanging. *Feels fine to me. And no wonder guys are always scratching these,* she added, gently moving her nails over the surface of his scrotum.

He all but whimpered. *Please, not yet. It's all too good, still.*

Her hand wandered up to her gigantic belly, curving out like she'd swallowed a beach ball. *I think that was even bigger than usual. Sweet gods above, my belly button popped out!* Her fingers played with the protruding nub. *Was it just me or were you a LOT deeper than you were supposed to be? I feel like something… opened, and now I feel it swimming in there higher than it should*

*I told you, the first change to your body was to make you more malleable, so you could stretch without tearing to take me without pain.* Naruto grinned and pushed his half-soft length a tad further up her tight little chute. *That includes your cervix. The head of my cock was right where a baby would grow. It goes both ways, so giving birth should be a lot less painful for you than it should be.*

*You don't say? Well, you know what that means, right?* Her eyebrow rose.

*I'm still too buzzed to listen to the background noise. Just tell me, Hinata.*

She couldn't help the sweet grin when she managed to catch a mutter of *_womanMatriarchsoulmateMINE_* when he thought her name. *You can't fuck my pussy when I'm pregnant. Guys joke about it, but you actually might poke the baby's eye out!*

Naruto grinned lazily. *So? I'll just have to take advantage of your lovely little rosebud and luscious mouth.*

She giggled. *Right. What was I worrying about?* She relaxed into the bed, rubbing her enormous sphere of an abdomen. *So, how are we going to feed me lunch? I just might explode if I take any more, and I doubt your quad has built up another load already.*

Her words made him think. With a brief exercise of will, he felt the numb ache in his four testicles vanish. *Psychic Healing, remember?*

Hinata shook, and not from fear.

*But you're right. We wouldn't want any stretchmarks on that lovely little waist, would we?* Shifting to a sitting position, and withdrawing his manhood from her womanhood to their mutual regret, Naruto focused. He could sense his seed inside her, charged with his power and essence, settled deep inside her and unwilling to leave until it served a purpose.

Hinata moaned and whined as the oddest feeling of her life hit her from her groin. She watched in disbelief as a stream of viscous white liquid arched through the air towards her mouth, emerging from her gaping hole. She opened her mouth willingly, though, never one to turn down a free treat. She sipped and gulped down the protein-rich elixir, the fullness in her womb slowly replaced by a pleasant bulging in her stomach. In the end, she was just as gravid as when they started, with perhaps an inch or two shift higher on her body in the arch of the curve.

Naruto looked down on her, both with his eyes and his powers, seeing her glowing in sexual satisfaction and untapped potential. He continued to guide her growth from within, willing her into becoming a partner worthy of standing by his side as he conquered— no, _united_ the galaxy. Satisfied that progress would continue as he desired, he laid back down beside his mate, cuddling her up against him.

Hinata reached up, playing with the trinket hung on a chain around his neck. "Naruto? Why do you wear this?" she said aloud, taking a break from telepathy. It was a wolf in gold, poor quality but still shining, head raised in a howl, whether to summon the pack or in loneliness at the moon.

Naruto sighed, looking down at the amulet that had come to mean so much to him. "As you know, I struggled with my heritage. After defeating my Guide, there was a time when I was convinced I was insane. Once I got through that, I was clueless what to do with the information. Should I turn myself in to the government for testing? Should I say 'fuck it' and go into the family business? Should I kill myself and spare everyone the danger?" He hugged Hinata at her rush of fear at the thought of his death. "I spent about a year in limbo, no idea what to do, trying to ignore it and get on with life as well I could.

"Then one day, I saw this little thing. It was hanging from a hook at a jewelry stand, one of those traders that will sell anything for ten ryo. I looked at the wolf, and I found my answer."

"What answer?" Hinata asked.

"To my Uzu problem. The wolf is an apex predator. He's strong, he's fast, he can fend for himself. Yet he chooses not to. Wolves run in packs, interdependent on each other. All for one and one for all. The pack takes care of its own, and it has a power that's much greater than just the sum of its parts." Naruto reached up to feel the metal animal. "Uzu are lone wolves. They stand at the lead of an army of rabbits, taking what they want and jealously hoarding all the power for themselves. I decided that I would be a pack wolf. I'd seek out and find people worthy of running with me, and then bring them up to a level where they were my equal in every way. We would live, fight, fuck, and raise young together. I'd be the leader not because I used mind control or I was the most powerful, but because I had the respect and loyalty of every member of my pack, my crew, my family."

"And from then on, I waited. I waited to find my mate, the one that would complete me, the one that would lead beside me as the Alpha couple. From there, we'd go out, looking for Betas to serve beneath and beside us, to fill out our ranks, to be both soldier and friend. And one day, when we're all settled and secure, start making a whole bunch of cubs."

Naruto shrugged. "I don't know where all that came from but looking at this wolf gave me a sense of purpose. I bought it for a pittance, and I've worn it ever since, to remind me that I'd be a very different kind of Uzu. My Thralls wouldn't be sex slaves, they'd be part of my team, my family, my pack. And my Matriarch, or maybe even Patriarch, would be much more than just the general of my troops; they'd be my other half."

Hinata was treated to a kiss on the forehead and a smile that melted her heart. "And nine years later, a jailbait worm girl snuck onto my ship. And nothing would ever be the same."

"That's a beautiful story," she said, sinking into the comfort of a full tummy, a tingling nether region, and a warm strong body next to her. "What's the next part look like?"

"The Uzu and his new Matriarch spend the next few weeks screwing each other's brains out, taking time to eat and learn each other's pasts and maybe experiment with newfound psychic powers. Once they sell off their load of Tyrenium, they'll return to Karron, to rescue the Matriarch's friend and buy even more metal to become even richer. Once that's sold as well, they'll get a new ship… and that's really as far as I've thought it." Naruto shrugged. "We'll have to figure out how to build all the Uzu tech tucked away in my head. We'll pick up Thralls when it feels right and the person in question gives their informed consent. It might be a good idea to visit the major empires of the Alliance, see if any of them have any other information on Uzu. And someday in the future, we'll all settle down on a nice planet and start raising our children."

Hinata hummed in delight. "Got to make… lots of princes and princesses… for when you're King of the Elemental Spiral." Worn out by her earlier bout of shock and the supernatural intensity of their first lovemaking, Hinata was carried off on the wind of dreams.

Naruto chuckled. "I don't want to rule it, silly. I just want it safe and happy. For your sake," he whispered. Then he settled down, deciding an afternoon nap was well-earned after the hectic morning.

And then he began to dream.


	4. Chapter 4

**I personally think of this as more chapter 3.5. Hope you all enjoy it anyway. I promise the next chapter will be closer to the first two in length.**

* * *

Naruto found himself in a black void. But it wasn't like space, a vacuum. It was more as if he had fallen into a pit of twisting, dense shadow. The ebony world around him seemed to MOVE in the corner of his vision. It was disturbing, it was frightening.

It was familiar.

"No! I killed you, there's no reason for me to be back here!" Naruto shouted, the traumatic triggers of the surroundings making him lash out in denial. For this was where he'd confronted his Guide.

There was no response to Naruto's noise, the air continuing to writhe with darkness. And then, in a rush, it all changed.

Naruto was suddenly standing on a planet. His head was level with the clouds and the towers of cities barely came up to his knee; he was a giant. On the ground were hordes, legions, armies of women, countless numbers of them, all bowing prostrate at his feet. Somehow, Naruto knew that each one was completely devoted to him. Each one would drink his piss and eat his shit to feel closer to him. They stretched out into the distance, carpeting the surface of this strange world.

Harsh, foreign emotion flooded him. He cared nothing for their worship, that was simply the natural order of things. What mattered were his enemies, who might come and steal or destroy his riches, his property, his conquest. Naruto looked to the sky, dismissing his slaves as if they were ants. The next adversary was out there, itching to claim what was HIS. The only solution was to strike first, to obliterate every potential threat before it was realized. He needed MORE. More resources, more worlds, more chattel. It would never be enough, and the rage that filled him at that thought only made him more determined to acquire what little there was in the universe…

What the fuck?

Naruto shook his head. "That's not me," he said.

Something shifted and Naruto became aware of a presence. It was massive, titanic, astronomical. It loomed over him like the star of this fantasy world. It had been radiating approval as Naruto vowed to conquer the universe. Now it projected puzzled bemusement, the shift as obvious and unmistakable as the sunlight changing color.

Naruto gulped, intimidated. Still, he was nothing if not a man of principle. "That's not me!" he repeated. "I won't be like the others!"

The presence contemplated the declaration… and found it wanting.

Naruto bellowed in pain as, quicker than a neural whip, a tendril of shadow with a barbed hook at the end lashed across his chest. The blow felt like it should have disemboweled him, and yet no wound showed on his stomach. But the PAIN! Naruto barely kept himself from collapsing to the ground in agony. Naruto grit his teeth and looked up at where he sensed the… entity looking down on him.

Naruto knew he had a choice to make. He could surrender and comply with the wishes of this abyssal horror regarding him. But what choice was that? He refused to become another heartless tyrant like his father and grandfather and all the other Uzu that had come before him. He'd rather die than compromise his values. And if there was one thing he had learned in the Marines, it was how to go down fighting.

"That the best you got?" he challenged, standing straight up despite the lingering torment.

The thing that had Naruto in its grasp was not amused. With a shrieking dissonance that was more an aural attack than a noise, another tendril with a hook came flying out of the darkness towards Naruto.

Naruto flinched, holding up his hands to try and defend himself.

The tendril lashed out… only to bounce off a wall of white hexagons.

Naruto blinked, and he sensed the same surprised confusion coming from the terror hovering over him. And then it clicked. Naruto was an Uzu. An awakened Uzu. He had psychic powers beyond mortal comprehension.

With a savage grin, Naruto focused. A rod of pure light appeared in his right hand, solid in his grasp as he formed a fist. Naruto reared back and with a heave sent the bolt of psychic energy flying. It raced like lightning skyward, for the black sky filled with glowing pinpricks that Naruto realized were EYES, not stars. The bolt flew true, piercing one of the white dots and exploding upon impact in a conflagration of power. Naruto felt satisfaction for a grand total of two seconds.

And then his enemy screamed.

There were no words for how profane, how unholy, how fundamentally WRONG that scream was. It could easily drive weaker men insane, senseless and gibbering. It traveled for miles out across this dream-space, alerting all who heard it that a being of immeasurable power and hatred had been wounded. It wasn't just a roar of pain; it was a declaration of war. With his thoughtless act of defiance, Naruto had earned an eternal foe. One that would never eat, never sleep, and never stop until he and all those he loved had endured countless torments the likes of which he couldn't even imagine.

His ears bleeding from the intensity of the sonic abomination, Naruto could only think one thing: run away! But running never worked in a dream. Screwing his eyes shut, Naruto focused all his energy on escaping…

… and woke up in bed with Hinata.

The Uzu almost cried, he was so happy, relieved to find himself safe and warm with his Matriarch in his arms. And then he WAS crying, great heaving sobs, as the encounter with that eldritch horror played on a loop in his mind. What had he been thinking, standing up to that thing? It was like an ant picking a fight with a giant! He'd doomed himself. The next time he fell asleep, the THING would find him!

Naruto was dimly aware of his arms being forced open. And then a stinging smack hit him right across the cheek. "NARUTO!" someone said, both very loud and miles away. Another smack. "Naruto, heal yourself! Whatever's wrong with you, FIX IT! You're scaring me!"

Heal himself? Right. He was an Uzu. Naruto reached for the mental representation of his healing powers and willed them to suffuse his body. With crisp, refreshing waves of cool energy, Naruto felt the psionic force take effect. He blinked and suddenly the world made sense again. His vision was clear, and looked straight into the panicking eyes of his only crewmate.

"I'm good. I'm good," Naruto said hoarsely. Had he been screaming?

Hinata's shoulders slumped, all the energy seeming to come out of her. "Thank the gods. I had no idea how to help you. What the bloody blue hell was that all about?" Hinata demanded.

Naruto hesitated. "I almost don't want to tell you. I don't want to inflict this on you too. But on the other hand, I need to share this with someone, try to make sense of it."

"I'm all ears." Hinata stopped holding herself up, laying down on Naruto's chest. The captain of the Fool's Gold gratefully wrapped her in his arms.

*Might be easier to show you instead of tell you,* Naruto projected.

*Lay it on me* Hinata encouraged with her mind.

Naruto replayed the nightmare that was more than just a nightmare in his mind, sharing it across the bond with Hinata. Each detail was sharp and immediate, lacking any sort of dream-like haze. Hinata felt goosebumps on her pale skin and a tremor in her heartbeat as she heard Naruto's memory of that desecrated scream.

*Fuck* she thought succinctly. *What do you think that... whatever it was, wanted with you?*

*My best guess? That… Astral Entity is the god my Guide worshipped. Some kind of malevolent consciousness that is interested in the Uzu. I don't know why. Maybe the first Uzu made a Faustian deal with it, maybe it just found us one day. At the start, it seemed very interested in molding me along traditional Uzu lines. When I refused, it tried to chasten me. Conclusion, for whatever reason, it wants me to try and conquer the universe.*

Hinata gave a weak grin. *But nobody tells Uzumaki Naruto what to do.*

Naruto returned her smile, just as shaky. *I think I made that pretty clear. And it did NOT like my answer.*

*So now what? You never sleep again? Can Psychic Healing do that?* Hinata asked.

Naruto shook his head, thinking the issue through. *That wasn't a dream. I was summoned to the Astral Plane, probably that Entity's personal sub-plane. I just need to wrap myself in the right wards before I go to sleep and that should protect me from any kind of psionic attack. Probably a good policy anyway. This Entity isn't the only one out there. We should ward you before sleep too, just to be safe.*

*Sure thing!* Hinata chirped. *Now, with that rather horrible end to an afternoon nap out of the way, what would you like to do today?*

Naruto sighed. *I love the old girl, but the Fool's Gold can barely go a day without developing a maintenance issue. How about I go to work making sure we don't break down in the middle of nowhere, and you keep me company?*

*Sure, that sounds like fun! You mind if I grab the Holonet reader, though? I've never had access to it before, and if I'm going to turn into some super genius, I'm going to need to fill my head with some facts,* Hinata reasoned.

Naruto grinned and gave her a smooch. *Whatever you want, honey.*

Naruto and Hinata extracted themselves from the bed. He put on his standard fare of long-sleeved t-shirt and combat trousers, and Hinata pulled Naruto's white tee over her head. On her malnourished frame, it was as good as a dress. They paid a quick visit to the cockpit to check the long-range scanners and grab the Holonet reader. Then, multi-tool in hand, Naruto set about the chore list of problems with his vessel. Hinata kept him entertained with a running commentary on how burly and manly he looked working up a sweat knee-deep in the guts of the ship and questions about subjects she found as she browsed.

"Tensions escalate as rogue members of the Kumo Empire engage friendly Konoha Federation ships in the latest of a series of border skirmishes. The brave men and women of the Konoha Federation Navy naturally proved victorious against the marauding aliens," Hinata read aloud. She looked up from the screen to raise a brow at Naruto. "I may have grown up on an asteroid, but I know fake news when I see it."

Naruto shrugged and wiped his brow with his forearm. "What can I say? The Konoha Federation News Network is a government-run agency. When it comes to the military, propaganda is the rule. I've met and traded with Kumo before, and they were perfectly civil. I'm betting the K-Fed is the one that struck first, but good luck finding a reporter brave enough to say that."

"What are the Kumo like? I've only met one alien in my life, you know," Hinata teased, but projecting her earnest curiosity.

Naruto grinned and got back to tightening the right valve. "Kumo Empire, aka the Lizardmen. Seven foot reptiles that can shift from bipedal to quadrupedal. A bit hard on the 'S's when they speak Standard, but they're friendly as anyone if you get past any xenophobia. They use Plasma weaponry, real bitch to deal with. After the Konoha Federation, they're the greatest military power in the Galactic League. At least, on paper. We're not too sure about some of the others and the K-Fed tends to overestimate itself."

Hinata tilted her head. "So if these 'border skirmishes' turn into a full blown war, who'd win?"

"Bloody knockout drag fest until a ceasefire or a decisive victory of one side. If I were a betting man, I'd flip a coin. They're too evenly matched."

On a whim, Hinata pulled up a map of the Galactic League. She gasped at the thousands of stars that filled the screen, sectioned off by color-coded borders. The Konoha Federation sat in the center, roughly originating in a sphere from ancestral Sol and Konoha. It was mostly hemmed in from all directions by other civilizations. "What's out there? Past Karron and the Rim?"

Naruto shivered. "Trust me, you DON'T want to know."

Hinata got a brief flash of a creature she could only describe as chitinous. Shaking her head, she turned back to the map. "This blue one seems very narrow."

"Ah, that's the Oto Regency. Those are just the stars we've confirmed form their border. No one knows how big their territory is."

"Why not?"

Naruto winked and wiggled his fingers in a spooky manner. "Because anyone who crosses further than the border gets blown to smithereens. The Oto have laser weaponry that makes the K-Fed equivalents look like dot pointers. Many have tried trading for their weapons tech, but so far as I know, no one's succeeded."

"So for all we know, the Oto Regency could be twice the size of the rest of the Galactic League?" Hinata asked incredulous.

"Yep. Luckily, we've been at peace for a couple centuries now. I actually traded with an Oto named Kakashi just before going for Karron. They're perfectly nice, they just have a zero-tolerance policy on visitors past the gate."

Hinata narrowed her eyes and grinned, her female intuition and her direct line to Naruto's thoughts and emotions serving her well. "You have a bit of a crush on him, don't you?"

Naruto blushed and busied himself with the valves again. "It's purely platonic. I don't even know if he swings that way."

"So? A couple 'doses' and he'll be as flexible as you are, and he won't even remember those. You just have to reel him in with promises of riches, power, and eternal youth and we're set!" Hinata reasoned with a grin. "So what's Kakashi look like? Is he handsome?"

"I have no idea, actually. No one does. The Oto all wear full-body armor at all times they're in public. The Oto's appearance is as much a mystery as their size. Theories range from a contagious disease to them being so hideous they feel the need to hide from the world. Needless to say, I've never heard of an Oto having a relationship with another species."

Hinata huffed. "So let's put him down as a hard 'maybe'." She turned back to the atlas. "The Suna Collective?"

"The Greys. First alien species we ever came in contact with. They're peaceful explorers and scientists that once laid claim to most of the current K-Fed worlds. When humanity started to expand, they seceded more and more worlds to Konoha until they were left with a fraction of their territory. I don't know if they're cowards or if pacifism is integral to their culture or species. But the Suna have always been our closest neighbors. They have Power Cores and Tachyon Drives miles ahead of the K-Fed."

Hinata tilted her head. "Greys?" she asked.

"They're five foot with huge craniums, grey skin, and big, black eyes. To be honest, they creep me out a little. But they're psychic, and that makes me very interested in meeting them now that I've got my powers," Naruto explained.

"For training?"

"Maybe, though it all seems pretty self-explanatory. What I'm really interested in is what they might know about the Uzu. They're psychic, which means they can transfer memories. Their histories must be perfectly preserved, each memory packet being transferred from one Suna to the next, through the years. It could go back millennia. They might have encountered the Uzu before and kept the memory safe."

Hinata blinked, wrapping her head around the concept. "It hurts my head, but that makes sense. First stop after our return trip to Karron, the Suna homeworld."

Naruto grinned and blew her a kiss before ducking down to get at an awkwardly placed pipe.

Hinata kept going through the list of major civilizations in known space. "Iwa Republic?" she called down to Naruto.

"Nicknamed the Golems. Almost identical to Konoha, just silicon rather than carbon-based. They're half again as tall and three times as heavy as your average Konoha, but they're gentle giants. Excellent miners, and their territory is rich with asteroids. Have the fastest engines in the galaxy and use Fusion weapons that pack a real kick. Their spit feels like lube," Naruto added as an afterthought.

Hinata perked up. "Woohoo, my man, getting some interspecies loving. Boy or girl?"

Naruto smiled as he remembered the encounter fondly. "Couple. She wanted to be double-penetrated and he had a thing for humans. I was the only guy they knew with a cock roughly the same size as his."

"That lucky Iwa gal," Hinata sighed. And then she blinked. "For the record, the lack of jealousy kicks in by the fourth dose, if we're keeping track."

"Good to know. How do you feel about that?"

"I'm certainly not complaining that I'm free from a toxic emotion," Hinata said flippantly. "And last but not least, the Mizu Enclave."

"Don't know much about them, they're pretty isolationist. Basically merpeople, with the strongest shields known to Konoha. I only traded with them once and I picked up a lot of hostility. Whether that's cultural or just that one merchant, I can't say."

Hinata pursed her lips. "Seems everyone else has better stuff than the K-Fed. What's their advantage?"

"The Marine in me wants to say 'the men and women fighting the good fight', but there are species that would wipe us out in a boarding action. Honestly, the K-Fed gets by as a jack-of-all-trades when it comes to various tech and a certain resolute willingness to fight to the last man against all odds. Problem is, those in power always want more, so we keep trying to expand, and get into fights like this mess with the Kumo."

Hinata nodded. "And the Uzu have the best stuff there is."

"Well, the best in known space. And that's just 100 thousand stars out of the 100 billion in the Elemental Spiral. And that's just one galaxy. For all I know, there's a race out there as far ahead of the Uzu as the Uzu are ahead of the Galactic League. There's really no way to tell." Naruto climbed out of the hatch and replaced the grate. "And it's kind of a moot point. Until we get Tenten and find the resources to build an Uzu ship, we're stuck with a 27th century Freighter."

Hinata blinked, and then blushed crimson. "Don't laugh. What's the date again? So much has happened so fast I've lost track."

Naruto smiled and gave her a long, lingering kiss. "It's March 9th, 2779, 1700 Konoha Standard Time."

"My birthday was the 5th. So it's been less than a week since this whole crazy adventure started," Hinata thought aloud. "When's your birthday?" Hinata asked innocently.

"01/01/2739," Naruto replied by rote. "New Year's baby. Supposedly that means I'm blessed with good luck and virility."

"Sounds about right to me. You got me, didn't you? And I doubt there's a more virile man in the universe," Hinata said sultrily, cupping his weighty package through his shorts.

Naruto very nearly growled. "Careful. Naughty girls go to bed without dinner."

Hinata blinked doe-eyes up at him. "Please, sir, I'll be a good girl. Please let me have my dinner."

Naruto grabbed and heaved. Hinata shrieked as she found herself bent over Naruto's shoulder. With strong, purposeful steps, the Uzu carried his Matriarch to his cabin. Then, with a carefully calculated throw, he flung her onto the bed.

Hinata barely had time to catch her breath when she found herself moving as if invisible puppet strings were attached to her limbs. She felt a tendril of fear until she realized the cause was Naruto. Then she simply surrendered to the manipulation, so great was her trust in him. She found herself lying with her feet towards the wall and her head hanging off the edge of the bed. She glanced at her upside-down lover and felt her nether regions gush at the lust in his eyes.

"I made love to you earlier today," he said in a voice as smooth as silk and decadent as fudge. "Now, I'm going to fuck you. I'm going to use your young, tight little body to get myself off. And you'll love it, because it brings me pleasure. And that's all you live for now: my pleasure."

*Too much?* He asked telepathically, letting her know this was all an act, a game to get in the mood.

*Not enough, keep going!* She projected back. "Yes, Master," she said aloud in her most subservient tone. She had never debased herself like this for anyone before. But then, she'd never met anyone worthy of such displays before Naruto.

Naruto shivered when he heard her call him 'Master'. "Good girl," he crooned appreciatively. "Now open that pretty mouth so I can fuck your throat."

Hinata grinned in anticipation before opening her lips wide and sticking out her tongue.

Naruto savored the view of a girl wearing nothing but his shirt, offered up to take him orally. Then he unbuttoned his pants and pulled out his burgeoning cock. The thick shaft filled his palm as he aimed the great erection at Hinata's head. He crouched down so the fleshy pillar was lined up with Hinata's open mouth. Putting his hands on the mattress to steady himself, Naruto implacably moved forward and pushed the head of his not-so-little soldier into the volunteered orifice.

Hinata made no moves to lick or suck, simply breathing and surrendering herself to Naruto. For this encounter, she was just a toy. A tool. Nothing more than a cock sleeve for Naruto to use to masturbate. Her pleasure was inconsequential, but was guaranteed, for she felt everything Naruto felt. Even as the massive organ became lodged deep in her throat, she felt no discomfort. Just a tingling on her clit from psychic feedback and a naughty delight in the knowledge that Naruto was enjoying this.

*Brace yourself* Naruto warned, before he suddenly began to pull out and thrust back in at a fairly rapid pace. Hinata grabbed the sheets with her hands and tried to relax, as she experienced her first skull fuck. Saliva built up in her mouth, overflowing and leaking out her lips to drip to the floor. Her throat was vacated and refilled over and over, rubbing the delicate membranes raw.

And she loved it, because Naruto loved it.

"Fuck, that's so good. You've got such a tight little throat, Hinata," Naruto grunted as continued to hump her head. "The only thing that would be better is if I were doing this to your pussy or ass. But I felt like taking your mouth, so I did. I can do that. I can do whatever I want with you. You're MINE!" he growled.

*Yes! Yours. All yours, Naruto! Now cum already and fill me with your magic jizz!* Hinata egged him on. Her eyes were locked on his quad swaying back and forth above her, filled to the brim with her favorite drink.

Naruto moaned and pushed so deep his pelvis knocked against Hinata's chin. He unloaded, sending jet after jet of sperm-rich spunk down Hinata's gullet and straight into her stomach. The pale, flat plane swelled from within, until Hinata's abdomen appeared 'about to pop' pregnant. Hinata clenched her fists and tried not to react as her complimentary orgasm ripped through her. Male climaxes were great fun, as far as the girl from Karron was concerned.

When he was sure his penis had stopped firing, Naruto withdrew it from Hinata's body. He got down on his knees and gave her and upside-down kiss. "Did you enjoy your dinner?"

Hinata grinned. "My compliments to the chef. And his four little helpers. Now when do I get to ravish you like you're nothing but a blow-up doll?"

Naruto chuckled. "Tomorrow, maybe. Now why don't you sleep off your meal? You're going to be doing a lot of growing this next week and the less energy you expend, the better. I'll do a few more chores and then give you a nightcap before joining you for bed."

Hinata yawned. As soon as he suggested it, she suddenly felt exhausted. Which made sense, she was going through an accelerated growth spurt, her very genome being altered by the psychic power packed in every one of Naruto's little swimmers. There was a reason her body digested the gut-busting feasts it was getting so fast. "Alright. I'll miss you."

*I'll be with you always, no matter where I am,* Naruto reminded as much as he vowed. He pressed his lips to hers again before tucking her into what he already thought of as 'their' bed. She smiled at him and watched his ass move in those tight trousers as he walked out of the room, before closing her eyes to doze.

She awoke again about four hours later, and watched with fascination as Naruto conjured transparent blue hexagons, each of them marked with a different character she didn't recognize. Naruto informed her they were Uzu runes, and that they spelled out an enchantment of protection and hiding, to keep them from being found or harmed by any on the Astral Plane. He wrapped them both in the blue hexagons, which slowly vanished from sight once the full-body shrouds were completed. Hinata then was distracted from the show of psionic powers by Naruto showing her how he masturbated. He treated her to a real show, stroking the shaft, playing with his quad, even leaning down to lick his head. When he was on the brink, he finally allowed her to get her mouth on him. He blew the fourth load of the day down her throat, and then cuddled her until they both fell asleep, his hand resting on her gravid tummy.

* * *

The next week passed in a pleasant blur. Naruto and Hinata grew happier by the day, as they learned more and more about each other's minds and bodies. Being able to communicate with raw thought eliminated all the misunderstandings inherent to the spoken word. The inability to lie or hide took some getting used to, but radical honesty soon became the comfortable norm. Hinata revealed every secret she had, and Naruto did the same. How she'd stolen and plied, blackmailed and lied just to get food or resources when living homeless in the tunnels of Karron. How Naruto remembered the face of every man he'd killed, even if he'd made his peace with their deaths. How Tenten had taken her in as an 'assistant' and become good as a sister. How the waitresses in his grandparents' restaurant had used his younger, naive self as a pawn in their little games. They were open books to each other, more transparent than perhaps any couple that came before.

And the SEX! It was truly phenomenal. Three, four, sometimes even five times a day, their bodies became one in some way. Most days, they didn't even bother wearing clothes at all. Hinata just might have become addicted to the taste of Naruto's cum and the feeling of his prodigious girth stretching out her body. Naruto considered it one of his missions in life to maximize the number of orgasms his Matriarch had whenever he was getting squeezed by her pliant yet oh so taut holes. They christened every room in the Fool's Gold except the Engine Room, and that was for safety's sake alone; radiation had a time and place, and mid-coitus wasn't one of them.

Not to say they spent every second of every day together, even if they kept in mental contact. Naruto had to do maintenance on his rusty Freighter, including one harrowing incident when he had to do a spacewalk to check the external systems. Hinata had worried her hair grey until he was safely back in the airlock. Hinata usually could be found in the Cockpit or their cabin, absorbing the virtually limitless knowledge of the Holonet, the reader balanced on her rounded stomach. One of her main interests was Astro-Navigation. The galaxy was so vast, she was quite curious how everyone got around it. Naruto had offered up his layman's understanding to help get her started, but she'd soon raced far past him to collegiate-level science and technical knowledge on the subject. Naruto was infinitely proud, and didn't bother to point out to Hinata her obviously enhanced intelligence.

Hinata's transformation seemed to go unnoticed by her, as if there were blinders in her mind. The lack of mirrors on the Fool's Gold certainly didn't help. Naruto hid his thoughts when he regarded the changes, wanting to save the big reveal until the process was complete. But each morning he woke up next to a slightly different version of the woman he was rapidly falling head over heels for.

The morning of the 16th, Naruto was shaken awake. "Naruto! Naruto! Wake up, you big palooka!"

Naruto woke chuckling. "Have you been watching old gangster movies in your spare time or something?"

"Get up and follow me to the Cockpit, mister, or you'll be sleeping with the fishes," Hinata said imperiously.

Naruto sent phantom fingers to tickle her, but got up anyway. He'd been practicing his telekinesis, as much as he could when bound by the confines of the Fool's Gold. He'd developed technique more than power, but that came in handy when it came to teasing uppity Matriarchs.

Nude as the day they were born, Naruto followed a skipping Hinata to the Cockpit. Rather than use the co-pilot chair, Hinata settled herself in her man's lap. Hugging her to increase the pleasure of the body contact, Naruto tucked his chin on Hinata's shoulder. "So, what did you want to show me?"

"As you know, I've been studying Navigation."

"And film. And economics. And biology. And mathematics. And…"

"Alright! I've been studying a lot, but let's focus on the Astro-Nav, okay?" Hinata giggled, a delightfully feminine sound.

Naruto picked the secret from her thoughts. "You planned a new route?"

She pouted. "Knew I should have practiced my mental shield. You ruined the surprise."

"Sorry, babe. I promise, I'll still be impressed. Show me what you got," Naruto encouraged.

Hinata leaned forward, which shifted her weight atop Naruto's slumbering cock. It began to awake as she leaned back, their planned route appearing on the main screen. "This is your original route to Olympus Shipyard. It will take us 17 more days."

"Okay," Naruto acknowledged. "And what about your new route?"

Hinata flicked a switch on the Pilot's chair. A new route appeared on the screen, overlayed beside the original in a different color. Naruto blinked when he read the proposed ETA attached to the new route. "11 days? In this old heap? How is that possible?"

"The short answer: warp tunneling. It involves taking advantage of oscillations in the hyperwake caused by interaction with nearby gravity wells. Think of it like one car drifting behind another, except we're drifting with ourselves." Hinata shrugged. "It's a tad complicated."

Naruto chuckled, shaking his head. "All that hard work paid off, I guess. Lay in the new course, babe."

Hinata pushed a few buttons and that was that, almost a week shaved off the length of their journey. She hesitated, before standing up. She fetched something from a drawer near the co-pilot's chair, and brought it to him. It was her old foldout ID. Naruto took it, confused. He noted that the face in the photo and the face looking worriedly at him were practically unrecognizable from each other.

"What is it, honey?" Naruto asked.

"Scan this? Please," she asked.

Shrugging, Naruto ran the ID through the scanner. After a brief pause where the signal was sent to the Core Worlds and the Konoha Federation's Citizen Registry, the result popped up on the screen.

"Hyuuga Hinata. Born 03/05/2761. No outstanding warrants… Navigator First Class?" Naruto read incredulously. He turned to his Matriarch, who was biting his lip nervously. "People prepare for YEARS to take that test! You passed after studying for only a week?"

Hinata shrugged. "I'd already read all I could find on Astro-Navigation on the Holonet, and you're going to need a Navigator on your crew. I took the test last night after you fell asleep. I had just enough ryo saved up to cover the fee, I know you're penniless after buying all the Tyrenium. It was a lot easier than I expected, I actually managed to get a perfect score!"

Naruto shook his head, before bursting from his chair and wrapping his arms around Hinata. He lifted her up and twirled her in a circle, letting out a crow of joy. Then, letting her lithe form slide down his front, he kissed her full on the mouth. "I'm so proud of you! I can't believe you did this for me!"

Hinata grinned and returned his kiss with passion. "I'd do anything for you."

Naruto felt his heart stop. He gently pulled her hair back behind her ear, and noted the final change had taken place. "You had a surprise for me. Now I have a surprise for you."

"I like surprises," Hinata grinned guilelessly.

Naruto let her go. "Stay right there, okay?" With her nod, he returned to the Pilot's chair and made a few commands of the cameras. That done, he pulled up the video of Hinata's statement of consent and freezed the first frame. "You remember her?" Naruto asked.

"Duh, she's me. That was only, like, eight days ago," Hinata said, wondering where this was leading. Unlike her, Naruto had practiced his mind shield.

Naruto pushed a button and a second image was placed next to the still of Hinata before her first dose. "What about her? Recognize her?"

Hinata blinked and studied the woman beside her in the hologram. She was tall, not as tall as Naruto but still respectable for a woman. Her indigo hair fell like a waterfall of silk to her midback. Her skin was tanned, toned, and utterly flawless. She looked like a serious athlete, and yet retained a certain softness that made the effect one of delicious femininity. Her breasts would prove too much for even Naruto's big hands to contain. Her ass curved out even when she was standing straight. And, Hinata saw with a start, she was moving. The image was live. Hinata waved at the image, and the beautiful goddess of a woman waved at someone off-screen.

"That's… that's me?" Hinata asked incredulously.

"The effect of three square meals of Uzu semen a day for a week," Naruto said humorously. He walked over to stand beside Hinata and they looked at the live feed of the two of them in the Cockpit. "Now the way you look on the outside reflects the woman I see on the inside. We belong together, don't you see it?"

Hinata looked at the two of them together. They did indeed look a pair, a match, a union of masculine and feminine in perfect, thrilling contrast to each other. They looked like a pair of demigods set to take on the universe. Hinata noticed one detail she'd missed at first.

"My ears!" She reached up to feel them, how instead of rounding they now came to a smooth, sharp taper. "You gave me Uzu ears!"

Naruto chuckled. "Honey, I gave you Uzu everything."

She looked at him uncomprehending.

Naruto elaborated. "I told you I intended to raise every member of my pack to equal standing as me, and I meant it. You're an Uzu now. Probably the first female Uzu in existence. You have just as much power as I do now, and you're immortal even without my cum restoring you. You're more than any Matriarch or Thrall that came before you. You're the Alpha Female to my Alpha Male, and never doubt that you are my equal in every way that matters."

Hinata was getting choked up. She grinned through the tears and gave Naruto the sweetest kiss she could. "Don't worry. I'll still be a good bitch for my mighty wolf. I may be able to kick your ass with psychic powers, but I'll always be your obedient, good little girl."

Naruto growled and attacked her lips. He hoisted her up, and her strong legs wrapped around his waist. "Let's go and celebrate my Navigator getting her certification."

"I was thinking I'd like it a little different today. There's one hole you still haven't claimed as yours," Hinata offered sultrily.

Naruto almost stumbled, before redoubling his pace back to their cabin.

* * *

**And that's where I'll leave it, on a sexy cliffhanger. Next chapter, first anal and the first major action sequence of this fic. Please favorite, follow, and/or review.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Forget what I said about length similar to the first two chapters. 5k-ish feels like a more natural length to me now. And it's faster for me to pump them out, so hopefully everyone enjoys that.**

* * *

Naruto and Hinata were locked at the lips as they fell onto their bed in the Fool's Gold. Hinata gave a little sound as his considerable mass of muscle came down on her, but her new body was built to take a pounding, a little bounce was nothing. The couple luxuriated in swapping saliva, simply enjoying being close. Naruto reached up one hand to take her breast, giving the nubile bronzed flesh a firm squeeze. They both shivered at the sensation, each touch rebounding between them across their psychic bond.

*I should take doctorate-level tests more often, if passing gets me this kind of reward,* Hinata thought happily.

*Baby, that's just the excuse. I consider it my new full-time job to worship your delicious, luscious body at every opportunity I get,* Naruto sent back.

*Have you thought about how this is going to feel on your end? It's not like when you fuck my pussy and just get a jumble of pleasure. You're probably going to feel whatever you do to my ass in your own* Hinata warned her lover.

Naruto shrugged. *I'm almost always dominant, but that doesn't mean I always top. Won't be the first time I felt something go up there. Might be the first time I enjoy it, though.*

Hinata's lavender eyes flashed. *In that case, I'm pegging you at some point before we get to Olympus.*

*... Whatever you want, honey,* Naruto projected hesitantly, his kisses coming to a stop.

Hinata hugged him close, smooshing her newfound bodacious boobs against Naruto's titanium-strong pectorals. *I promise, we'll both love it. But that's for another day. Today is about YOUR dick going up MY ass.*

Naruto grinned and pressed a long, lingering kiss to Hinata's neck, nipping it just a bit. Not enough to make a proper hickey, but enough to leave a small mark. *On your hands and knees, she-wolf. The pack Alpha has chosen you to slake his lust.*

With an honest smile of anticipation, Hinata rolled under Naruto as he pulled back. In no time, she was in the doggy position, her pussy hairless and on full display, already leaking fluid down her thighs. Her rosebud was hidden by the two thick buns of her ass cheeks. Her gorgeous blue hair covered most of her muscled back where it hadn't fallen over her shoulder to hang by her arms. Naruto doubted he'd ever seen a sight more erotic than HIS woman presenting for him.

He reached out and grabbed those buns tight enough to bounce an old ryo coin off of. He squeezed, feeling the muscle and fat beneath his palm give way to the strength of his grip. He pulled in opposite directions, moving the fleshy cushions aside to reveal the pink knot of muscle he was set to plunder. He could only imagine how the shit-eating grin on his face must have looked. He'd been looking forward to this almost as soon as he met Hinata and they'd made their agreement. Moving in and just taking a sniff of the scents coming off his mate's most intimate area, Naruto then stuck out his tongue and licked the tiny star.

Hinata shivered. *So your policy of 'lick it before you stick it' applies to both holes?*

*A gentleman always engages in foreplay to prepare his lady for a good, hard bout of lovemaking,* Naruto sent in a snobbish tone, as he twirled and swirled his strongest muscle around Hinata's rear entrance.

*Pretty sure prim and proper ladies don't allow their men to do it up the poop chute,* Hinata fired back.

*Are you kidding? It's natural birth control. When you already have a dozen little tykes running around, you need to find a new way to honor the marital bed lest you go insane* Naruto joked.

*Keep in mind, we'll be together for millennia, knock on wood. Even if we only had a singleton every century, we'd have a dozen children in a pretty short amount of time, all things considered.*

Naruto paused. *I'll have as many children with you as you allow me to pump into you, whether that's just one or one hundred,* he declared silently.

Hinata fought her tear ducts, not wanting to ruin the mood. *Just get back to kissing my ass, Uzumaki.*

*Will do, Hyuuga.*

The couple enjoyed the act of analingus for an indeterminate time. Finally, having deemed her ready, Naruto reached up a finger and sank it into the velvety folds of Hinata's pussy. He twisted it around, getting it nice and wet with her slick juices, before withdrawing it. Pulling back his mouth, Naruto gently probed Hinata's asshole with his lubricated finger. Both made a small sound as they felt the muscular ring give way and yield to the intruder.

*How's that feel?* Naruto asked, wanting to make sure his partner enjoyed every second of this.

*It's… different. Not like taking a shit backwards, like I expected. It's… not the worst feeling.* Hinata concluded. *How about you? You okay with this?*

Naruto acknowledged the faintly familiar feeling of his sphincter being stretched, even though physically it remained closed. *It'll be worth it,* he stated decisively. *Now, let's get back to stretching you out.*

As Naruto began to dive in and out with his right index finger, his left came up to feel Hinata's leaking quim. Hinata's eyes widened as she was double-penetrated, at least with fingers. Naruto kept up an alternating rhythm with his two pointers, before withdrawing the one in her cunt and having it join its brother in her rectum. Hinata let out a groan as she felt her tightest hole widen further, knowing this was just a prelude to the main show.

Naruto pulled left and right with his fingers, opening Hinata's hole to the point he could see inside her. He squeezed his face between his hands and stuck his tongue as far as he could into that forbidden tunnel. Hinata cried out in pleasure, the unusual burn of the stretching mixing with the caress of that slippery organ to give her the most enjoyment she'd ever gotten from that part of her body.

Pulling back from his oral assault, Naruto shifted his hips forward. With some careful maneuvering, he had his exceptional length and girth lined up with Hinata's labia. *Now, to get him nice and wet so he can slide right in,* Naruto 'whispered' dirtily to Hinata.

Before Hinata could respond, Naruto pressed forward slowly yet implacably. Hinata's jaw dropped as she felt the by-now familiar feeling of her cervix dilating and yielding to the invading pillar, until the head of the mighty shaft was brushing the back wall of her womb. Combined with the feeling of his two fingers still in her other hole, Hinata had never felt more stuffed. *How big are you making the male Thralls' cocks? Because I don't think I could survive taking two copies of your manmeat.*

*Thinking about other men while we're in bed together? What a bad girl you are,* Naruto teased playfully. *If you must know, roughly 5/6ths the size of mine. So unless I make a full-body Construct one day, no having to take two Uzu-size cocks.*

*Right, because a 10-incher is nothing compared to you,* Hinata snarked.

Naruto frowned. He pulled out one finger and brought his hand down solidly on Hinata's ass. She squeaked in as much surprise as discomfort. It hadn't been true pain, Naruto knew his own strength well enough to prevent that, but it certainly put Hinata in her place mentally.

*Back-talk is normally very poorly tolerated by Uzu from their women. You're lucky I'm so understanding,* Naruto projected imperiously.

*Yes, oh mighty overlord. Your Matriarch will do better in future,* Hinata thought submissively. *... May I have another?*

Naruto blinked. *Really? You don't have to if you don't want to.*

*Oh, I want to,* Hinata grinned. *It makes me feel sexy, having your handprint on me. And the way my body tenses around your dick feels incredible.*

Wondering at his good fortune, Naruto lifted his hand and gave another hard smack to Hinata's right cheek. Naruto distinctly felt her full-body shiver, especially around his boner. He stopped to admire the pink outline of his hand that stood out on her skin. *My girl likes a good spanking. Will wonders never cease?*

*You're the one who made me your perfect woman* Hinata countered.

Naruto leaned forward and tilted her head, so he could plant a kiss on her lips. *Sweetie, you were already perfect. I just brought it out in you.* Pulling back, Naruto gripped Hinata's hips possessively. *Now, time for the main event.*

Hinata felt it keenly as Naruto withdrew every inch of his manhood from her uterus and vagina. She felt horribly empty for just a moment. Then she felt the head, slick with his precum and her own lubricant, press up against her secret entrance. There was a second or two when she thought her body might reject the mighty invader. And then her sphincter surrendered, and the head of Naruto's little man was in her ass.

Naruto kept his eyes locked on the spot he was penetrating his Matriarch, though his eyes wanted to roll back in his head, it was so pleasurable. Oral was great fun, vaginal was what nature had intended as the ultimate pleasure, but nothing could beat the naughty thrill of anal. Moving slowly to give her time to adjust, Naruto fed inch after inch of his tumescent length into Hinata's back door, until his quad was nestled up against her gushing slit. They both let out a sigh of pleasure as Naruto stopped moving.

*I could get used to this for nine months while I have a bun in the oven,* Hinata remarked. *I feel so… submissive like this. It's like you're staking your claim, completely owning my body.*

*Glad I have your approval. Now, let's see how rough my Matriarch can take it,* Naruto growled mentally. Wrapping her hair around his fist and keeping his other hand on her waist, Naruto pulled out and thrust back in. And then again, and again, with increasing force, until Naruto was giving her all he had. The harsh snap of his hips was cushioned by her thick rump, her cheeks jiggling with every impact.

Hinata groaned as she felt her insides rearrange around Naruto's swollen organ. The burn of friction against her anal ring and the insides of her colon sent foreign but undeniable pleasure through her, even as her clit gave her the phantom sensation of plunging a tight hole. And then there was the simple delight in knowing her body was stimulating her man, that he was getting off on using her hole to stroke his shaft. She began to push back in time to Naruto's thrusts, so he went in just that much deeper.

Naruto rode Hinata's ass through two dizzying climaxes on her end, his fires only stoked higher with each wave of sympathetic pleasure that ripped through them. Finally, in time for Hinata's third, he plunged deep as he could and roared his release, his quad twitching and convulsing as pint after pint of Uzu semen was packed into Hinata's body.

"Fuck!" Naruto shouted out loud, as his balls filled Hinata to the brim. Hinata bit her lip to keep from joining him, focused on the wonderful, wet, warm weight of her Alpha's seed deep inside her. They both collapsed onto their sides, Naruto's back to the wall. Both reached up a hand to cradle the rounded tummy that was the evidence of Naruto's considerable release.

They laid there for a while, thoughts quiet, just bathing in the afterglow of good sex. Naruto hid his face in Hinata's hair. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw where his buzzcut blonde locks clashed with her ocean blue tresses. *One of our kids will probably have green hair,* he projected idly.

*I've done a lot of thinking about this, and I think I want our firstborn to be a girl, with your coloring. A female Naruto, in all her bubbliness and strength and loyalty.* Hinata smiled blissfully as she pictured it. *We'll call her Naruko.*

Naruto snorted. *Gods, no. That would be like naming our son Boruto. They need their own name, not just a derivative of ours'.*

*Fair point,* Hinata conceded.

*Now, about your breakfast…* Naruto thought.

*Naruto, I don't care how clean it is back there. I am NOT drinking cum that came out my ass.* Hinata managed to pierce him with a mental state without having to twist her neck to do so physically.

*Who said anything about drinking it?* Naruto focused his Telekinesis, reaching for the psychically sensitive material of his cum. With a gentle nudge, Naruto sent it up the tube of Hinata's intestines until it all had settled in her stomach.

*There we go* Naruto said.

*That felt even weirder than drinking it out of my pussy. What's the point of you feeding me anymore? Isn't my transformation complete?* Hinata asked.

*Yeah, but it saves rations for me. Besides, don't you LIKE living off a protein-rich diet of Uzu jizz?*

*Sure I do. I just didn't expect to keep getting the privilege after the obligatory week.*

Naruto leaned forward to kiss Hinata behind the ear. *Enjoy this time when it's just us and we can be together as a semi-normal couple. Give it a few years and we'll be torn a million directions between other Thralls and all the babies.*

*Ah, but the power of the pack is in its numbers. The sooner we find some more women or men to fill out the ranks, the better prepared we'll all be to take on the universe.* Hinata snuggled back into Naruto's bearish bulk. *But sure, let's enjoy the honeymoon as long as we can.*

Naruto and Hinata laid there comfortably until there was a protesting gurgle from his stomach. They took that as their cue to leave the bed, getting to the Rec Room and grabbing Naruto some breakfast to refuel after the morning's exertions. They were talking with their minds while his mouth was occupied, so the room was quiet to the outside observer. At least, until the alarm went off.

"What the hell?" Hinata blurted out.

Naruto was moving with purpose, heading straight for the Cockpit and his Pilot's chair. He reviewed all the instruments and saw the cause of the alarm at once. "We're picking up a distress signal. Roughly two hours away at our best speed."

"What do we do?" Hinata asked, keenly feeling her inexperience aboard a ship. "Shouldn't we go help?"

"What support could we provide? If it's an active attack, it'll be over by the time we get there. Even if we arrive in time, we have no weapons. And even if this were a run of the mill breakdown, I'd still be weary. It could be a decoy or bait set up by pirates."

Hinata frowned. "I know you, Naruto. You aren't going to just ignore this. It's not in you to abandon someone in need like that."

Naruto sighed. "I know. So, here's what we're going to do. We're minimizing our energy signature, and then we're going in. I want us all but dark until the moment we're right next to this ship and whatever's wrong with it. We'll see what's wrong and plan our next course of action from there."

"Aye, Commander," Hinata replied automatically. She'd spent over a week with an ex-Marine, some stuff had bled through.

Naruto keyed in a few commands to the main console and within a minute, the ship had gotten noticeably quieter and darker. Electricity was only going to critical systems, all of which were at their lower possible output. Other than the hum of the Engine and the light of the holograms, the only signs that anything lived on the ship was the two's breathing.

Hinata shivered. *It's getting colder.*

*Sorry baby, I'll find you some clothes. I'm guessing you've outgrown my tee, let alone your old getup,* Naruto projected. *Just stay here and keep an eye on the instruments.* Standing up, Naruto reached for the section of his powers marked 'Vision' in his mind. With a bit of focus, he could suddenly see in the darkness of his ship as if it were drenched in sunlight. He went to their Cabin and quickly got dressed in his usual gear; he wasn't going to arm himself until there was a chance of a firefight. It took some thinking, but he finally decided on the skintight undersuit he usually wore under his spacesuit for Hinata. He walked back to the Cockpit, and saw that Hinata was dutifully eyeing all the instruments.

*I'm back,* he nudged mentally. *This might not be decent, but at least it's warm.* He reached out to hand the suit to Hinata, only to be surprised when she grabbed it out of his grip with assurity. She winked at him.

*I have all your powers too, remember? Once I realized that this morning, whatever mental blindness was keeping me from seeing them lifted. I can use 'Night Vision' as easily as you can, stud.*

Naruto grinned, proud as punch at how capable his woman was. *Anything happen in the five minutes I was gone?*

*I altered our course so we'll reach the source of the distress call in 90 minutes instead of 2 hours.*

*Guess there are perks to sleeping with a Navigator First Class,* Naruto teased her. Getting serious, he reached out and tugged her into his arms. *I don't want to say this in the heat of the moment, and I don't want to chance something happening and you not hearing it. I love you. I love you so much, Hinata.*

Hinata got teary-eyed, but smiled and went on tip-toe to kiss him. *I have never loved anyone as much as I love you, Uzumaki Naruto. Remember that.*

*I will,* he vowed. *Now, if this goes south and we end up in a boarding action, I need you to be able to fight.*

*Can't I just use my magic powers?* she asked confused.

*Sure, if you have to. But you're new to them, you've barely practiced. I don't want to chance you needing something beyond your skill level and being helpless. How good are you with a gun, or self-defence?*

*'Go for the groin' sums up my fighting experience. And I've never even held a gun in my life. That's was Tenten's thing, not mine,* Hinata admitted. She felt shame and guilt that she couldn't provide her man with better answers.

Naruto grinned down at her. *Don't worry. We can fix that.* Naruto focused very hard for about thirty seconds. Then he pressed a kiss to Hinata's forehead. She gasped as she felt Naruto's powers suffuse her mind, leaving something in their wake. She blinked and then his presence had vanished.

*What did you do?* Hinata asked.

*Knowledge Transferrence. Same thing I think the Greys do with their history. Only instead of a memory, I gave you all my skills and instincts from years of combat training.*

Hinata blinked. *So, what? I suddenly have all the know-how of a fully-trained Special Ops Marine?*

*You tell me. How do you strip and clean an XR73 Rifle?* Naruto prompted.

Hinata began to think 'no idea', only to stop as the knowledge flooded her brain. It was like when you can't remember something, only for it to occur to you later. The task that Hinata had never done was now as simple and rote as reciting the alphabet. At least, in theory. How well what was between her ears translated to her hands was another issue.

*I'm going to need some practice to work out the kinks,* Hinata sent.

*Unfortunately, that won't be happening anytime soon. There's no Firing Range on the Fool's Gold. But this will still be better than nothing if things get hot.* Naruto paused to look Hinata up and down. *Though your body probably counts as a knockout all on its own.*

The stretchy one-size-fits-all material of the undersuit was doing a marvelous job of showcasing Hinata's many, many curves. She even had a camel-toe, the material was pulled so taut. If she walked down any major street, she'd cause traffic accidents.

*Cute. So, what do we do while we wait for the ship to get us there?* Hinata asked.

*I could tell old war stories, try to psych us up,* Naruto offered.

*And if it winds up being a simple tow job?*

*Then you'll know something more about my life.*

*Fire away, Marine!*

Naruto made the minutes fly by as he regaled Hinata with memories and commentary about various boarding actions, ship-to-ship combat, and land assaults done planetside. He didn't embellish nor did he conceal. He gave her the unabridged truth, the raw grittiness. Seeing friends die and being helpless to do anything, feeling like you were there just to witness it. The screams of the dying, the scent of death and shit as you clambered over corpses to get to the next firing position. The rush of escaping death by an inch and the delusions of immortality that came with it. By the time the Fool's Gold had arrived in the same system as the distress beacon, Hinata was fully girded for a bloody assault.

They were close enough for visual contact through the Fool's Gold's main windows. A large old Freighter, bigger than theirs. It wasn't alone though; a sleek Federation Corvette was pulled up alongside it.

*Are we too late to help?* Hinata asked.

Naruto's eyes narrowed. Something wasn't right. *The Corvette's navigation lights, they aren't set for a docking maneuver,* he realized. *There's trouble on that ship, which means there's trouble on the other one too.*

*So, do we go charging unto the breach?* Hinata wondered.

Naruto sighed. *I don't really have a choice. Pull the ship to the other side of the Corvette, Hinata. Prepare to dock. I'm getting geared up.*

Hinata followed her orders to the letter, maneuvering the Fool's Gold to sandwich the Corvette between the two Freighters. As she made her way to the airlock, her psionically-enhanced eyes saw Naruto was already there. He was in a Kevlar-weave bodysuit with ceramic plating at major target areas, carrying an XR73 Rifle with a bullpup magazine and holographic sight. He handed Hinata the very auto-shotgun he'd used to threaten her that fateful meeting last week. *Be careful where you aim. I'm using hollow-point to avoid depressurization, but you've got standard shotgun shells,* Naruto instructed.

*No problem,* Hinata said, the weapon feeling strangely familiar in her hands. She sighted it towards the airlock and then went into rest position. *So, any idea how to break down a K-Fed airlock door?*

*There are some advantages to being me,* Naruto projected cryptically. He walked up to the closed titanium door and pulled a small chrome device from his belt. He attached it to the sealed portal. After a few moments, there was a dull 'thunk' and then the door rotated upward. Naruto retrieved the hacking device and turned to face the questioning eyes of his Matriarch.

*I'll take the short answer now, but we're talking about this later.*

*Short answer: I'm more semi-retired than actually retired.*

*Fine. Now, let's see what's what here,* Hinata prompted Naruto to take point.

Naruto led the way and it didn't take long to find the first corpse. A Federation Marine had been shot in a brief fire-fight in the adjacent corridor. They stepped carefully over the body and headed further into the ship.

The Corvette interior wasn't large, consisting of a dozen rooms or so and it only took them 10 minutes to finish the sweep of the ship. They found 15 more dead crewmen and evidence of looting in most rooms. It looked like the crew had been caught by surprise and most of them had been killed during a hostile boarding action.

The ship's armoury showed signs of tampering, as if someone had tried to hack or blow their way through. Curious, Naruto hooked up his chrome device to the armoury door. Shortly after, it whirred open. A quick inspection showed that the pirates hadn't managed to make their way inside. Naruto browsed through the various suits of Federation-issue body armor, before handing one to Hinata. *This is easier than maintaining a full-body Shield for however long we're going to be in there. Suit up.*

Nodding, Hinata slipped into the body armor. While she was getting suited up, Naruto grabbed a few grenades in case things got hairy.

They left the armoury and headed to the cockpit. Naruto was looking for the ship's roster and was also interested in finding some more clues as to what had happened, hoping that the answers might be found in the Captain's log. Unfortunately the cockpit had been badly damaged in a fire-fight, the grenade that killed the Captain and the pilot had also ripped through the command console, rendering it a broken charred wreck.

They backtracked to the ship's medical bay, Hinata following closely behind him. *Why are we going to medical?* she asked curiously.

Naruto had stopped at one of the computers in the medical bay and was tapping away at the keyboard. *Well if I'm lucky... Yes! I've found the crew's medical logs. This will give us a list of actively serving crew members.*

The personnel roster confirmed his fears. There were 18 serving crewmen aboard this Corvette, which meant that three were missing. Almost all the dead Federation crew they had found were men and after a quick scan of the crew listings, the missing crew were all women.

Naruto turned to his young companion. *It looks like they took three women as prisoners* He confirmed, with a grim look on his face. *I've seen what happens in these kind of scenarios before and it isn't pretty. Are you up for mounting a rescue operation?*

*What kind of question is that? Hell yes!* Hinata looked at him, nothing but determination in her eyes.

Naruto nodded and then led them both forward.

They left the medical bay and moved quickly and quietly to the airlock on the other side of the Corvette, the one that was connected to the Freighter. The connecting doors had been left unsealed, leaving the way into the grubby interior of the other ship yawning wide open. The battered Freighter was in a terrible state of disrepair, with wall panels discarded on the floor and exposed power cables showing evidence of crude patching efforts. The corridors were filthy, which made Naruto's lip curl with disgust.

He moved forward, carefully checking each intersection as they moved further inwards. This Freighter was old and battered, but it was also big and it would be easy to get lost in here. He motioned Hinata to hug the wall a moment and the two crouched in the shadows. He tapped at the computer built into the vambrace on his left arm and a schematic of this model of Freighter popped up on the screen. With a few more clicks he marked their current position and the route they would need to follow to leave. Naruto nodded to his young companion and they set off again.

They had still not encountered anybody and Naruto was beginning to wonder where everyone was, when he began to hear the sounds of some kind of commotion up ahead. They moved closer, listening to the sounds of many raised voices shouting raucously. Naruto turned a corner and saw that the corridor to his right opened out to the top level of some kind of cargo bay. He could see dozens of dark figures on the overhead gantries, leaning over railings to look at some scene below. These men were clearly pirates and the baying mob were drinking booze and laughing at the evening's entertainment.

*Keep an eye out,* Naruto instructed Hinata. Then he gave a mental tug and disconnected his mind from his body. His Spirit-Walking astral form flew forward, to scan what was going on without any threat to his physical body.

What he saw nearly made him sick.

The pirates were enjoying a bit of old-fashioned gladiatorship. Two of the Corvette's crew laid dead, their bodies horribly violated and distorted by what had killed them. The third was desperately trying to fend off her foe with a rusty pipe she was using as a makeshift spear. The monster roaring at her seemed barely intimidated.

Naruto rushed back to his body. *Fucking bastards! They gave the women to an Oni!*

*What's an Oni?* Hinata asked.

*Big, red, dumb. Four eyes, two-foot cocks. And they don't have handy muscle relaxant pre like Uzu do,* Naruto reported grimly. *It's already raped two of them to death. If we want to save the last, we need to act NOW.*

*Orders?* she asked, as serious as death.;

*I'll use flash grenades to distract them and then lay suppressing fire. You get down there, rescue the girl, and get back to me. Use whatever powers you think you can manage, but don't take any risks.*

*So no electrocuting the Oni with Psychic Lightning, eh?* Hinata nodded. *Got it.*

Naruto crouch-walked down the corridor until he was at the opening to the cargo bay. All the pirates were too focused on the show below them to notice. Palming two grenades, Naruto threw them in graceful arcs down the left and right gantryways. Quick as thought, he grabbed a third and threw it to land on the gantryway that went lengthwise across the room ahead of him. As the explosions of light, sound, and force went off, Naruto instructed *Now!*

Hinata ran with Psychic Speed to the edge of the cargo bay, and then fearlessly jumped down the thirty feet to the bottom, using Psychic Strength in her legs to cushion the fall. Then, still with Speed active, she made it to the side of the poor Federation Navy survivor, which incidentally put her face-to-face with the snarling Oni. Bracing against her shoulder, Hinata let loose with the full magazine, using Psychic Strength to avoid any barrel climb. The Oni's red head was reduced to pulped mash, the countless pellets stripping the very flesh from its bones.

Hinata reloaded her shotgun and then turned to the incredulous woman beside her. "What's your name?" Hinata asked.

"Second Lieutenant Inuzuka Hana," she said dazedly.

"Hana, you're coming with me." Hinata used one of her Vision powers to assess Hana's injuries. "I'm going to need you to let me carry you princess style. It's for the best, given your cracked ribs."

"Can you even carry me?" Hana asked heatedly, all 5 foot 6 inches of her quivering with intense emotion.

"I'm stronger than I look." So saying, Hinata scooped Hana into her arms in a move Naruto had done on her numerous times. Barely acknowledging the squeak of pain from the sharp movement her companion gave, Hinata focused on the ledge above her and, with a surge of Psychic Strength, jumped up.

Naruto, meanwhile, was busy mowing down the pirates with his XR73 Rifle. Most of them were still clutching their eyes or rolling on the ground from the searing light of the flash grenades. One, however, wasn't. The cyborg had a glowing red eye and a two-hundred pound metal arm, and he aimed a nasty-looking pistol right at Naruto. Naruto aimed carefully, feeling like he had all the time in the world with Psychic Speed, and gave a three-round burst straight to the cyborg's heart. The man-machine hybrid keeled over, leaving Naruto to pick off the the other pirates. With Psychic Speed, he could fire on full automatic and get nothing but headshots if he were good enough. By the time he reached the bottom of his clip, at least 80% of the pirates were dead.

Naruto was reloading his magazine when he sensed Hinata rejoin him. With a nod and a mental command, the two ran with Psychic Speed back through the ship, leaving no trace of their presence except for the bodies in the cargo bay. When they reached the airlock of the Freighter, Naruto sealed it and the Corvette's behind them.

"That should buy us a couple minutes," Naruto noted. He turned to the very pale woman in Hinata's arms. "I'm Commander Uzumaki Naruto. You've been rescued, Lieutenant Inuzuka."

"Thank you," she said breathlessly. "Just… thank you. The Oni… the pirates… they…" She broke down in tears.

*Go put her in the passenger cabin. I'll grab a couple trauma kits and then we can patch her up when we're far away from these pirates.*

*Can't we just heal her with our powers?*

*And tell her superiors what, she was injured but they magically vanished overnight? Neither she nor we need that kind of attention this early in the game. She'll have to settle for good ol' 28th century medicine.*

*Whatever the Alpha commands,* Hinata thought unironically, moving to take the crying woman into the Fool's Gold. Naruto scavenged the medical bay of the Corvette, grabbing a few kits that seemed relevant. By the time he reentered the Fool's Gold and sealed the airlock, he had just heard a boom from the other end of the Corvette, no doubt the pirates trying to break down the door. Naruto used Psychic Speed to cross the short distance to the Cockpit. With a few short commands, the Fool's Gold was detached from the Corvette and making it for the Nav Beacon. Naruto counted the breaths until they were free of the gravity well, and then sent them into hyperwarp with a sigh. At last, they were safe.

Naruto strode into the passenger cabin to see what he could do to help the injured woman. Hana was sitting on the edge of the bed, being supported by Hinata. Naruto moved closer to see the extent of her injuries. She had deep lacerations on her back, probably from a whip. He gently touched the side of her torso, causing her to gasp in pain, confirming his suspicions about the broken ribs. Finally she had a broken nose and two newly forming black eyes where some evil pirate had smacked her in the face.

"Hey, Hana," Naruto greeted gently. "Remember me? I'm Naruto, and this is Hinata. You're safe now. No one will hurt you anymore."

Hana seemed overcome by tears. "I… I can't thank you enough. Everyone else… except me… my fault," she gasped out.

Naruto and Hinata both wrapped her in a hug. "Hush, now. It was NOT your fault, Hana. The only fault lies with those disgusting pirates and the Oni," Hinata said supportively.

"You were taken by surprise going to rescue a broken-down Freighter. You were the victim of a well-planned ambush, and then you were overrun by numerous men and at least one cyborg. You did the best you could have done under the circumstances, I'm sure," Naruto comforted.

Hana continued to weep, but she clutched them both tight.

They spent the next hour taking care of the Inuzuka's wounds, carefully disinfecting and bandaging what they could. That done, Naruto gave Hana a strong sedative so that she could get some dreamless sleep. Judging by her initial reactions in the aftermath, Naruto guessed she'd be suffering from nightmares for weeks, possibly even PTSD. Naruto and Hinata left her unconscious body in the passenger cabin. The two wearily unloaded their weapons and put them away in the locker before stripping out of their unmarked armor.

"If we didn't have powers, that could have gone so much worse," Naruto muttered.

*Luckily, we do. And it didn't.* Hinata hugged Naruto and pressed a kiss over his heart. *So, do I get to hear about your semi-retired status now or after a nap?*

*Not much to tell, let's just get it out of the way,* Naruto said, sitting down in their bed. *Officially, I'm on the books as a Special Ops Consultant. I do the Konoha Federation favors when asked or I see the opportunity. In return, I get to keep my old rank and all the perks that come with, including a military-grade weapons license and a few knickknacks like the hacking device you saw.*

*Does that make the Fool's Gold a Navy ship?* she asked curiously.

Naruto snorted. *Hardly. It just means I got into a few scrapes in between trade deals in the decade since my so-called retirement.*

Hinata yawned. *Why am I so exhausted?*

*Adrenalin withdrawal. It happens. Plus, we used our powers more today than we ever have before. With practice it'll be effortless, but for now it's fairly draining even to do the little stuff.*

*How come we can't use Psychic Healing on Hana but she was allowed to see us use Psychic Speed?* Hinata asked.

*Frankly, baby, no one's going to believe her. They'll assume she blacked out or hallucinated from her injuries.* Naruto cuddled his woman close. *The good doctors at Port Heracles will take good care of her. I plotted the route myself so it'll take about two days to get there.*

*I've never been to a starport before.*

*We can do a proper visit on the way back to Karron. This time will be just about transporting Hana. We haven't two ryo to rub together, remember?*

*Until we get to Olympus, then we'll be hundred-millionaires, if your contact is feeling generous.*

*He will be. I saved his life.* Naruto began to drift off.

Before he was all the way gone, Hinata fed him an image: Hana fully healed and beautiful as a Thrall, her tummy rounded out and Hinata sporting an identical bump beside her.

*Minx,* Naruto grumbled before conking out.

Hinata grinned. *Matriarch is in charge of recruitment.*

* * *

**Dun, dun, dun. What could Hinata have in mind? Sale of the Tyrenium coming up next, along with the reveal of the first male Thrall. Read, fav/follow, review.**


	6. Chapter 6

**I sincerely hope at least one person's day is made brighter by reading this.**

* * *

Naruto forced himself to wake up before he wanted to. His blue eyes blinked open and the first thing he did was shut down his psychic bond with Hinata. She'd just endured her first combat, she deserved all the rest she could get. Gently but firmly detaching her from his body, Naruto stood up in the cabin and stretched. He almost walked out naked before remembering there was another person aboard now. Once dressed in his cargo pants and shirt, Naruto went to check on Hana.

Naruto knelt down beside the pale-skinned girl barely older than Hinata. Given the wounds on her back and side, she'd decided to sleep on her front. Naruto surveyed her body, up and down, using X-Ray Vision to confirm all her injuries. Severe lashing by a neural whip, broken ribs from landing on her side when thrown thirty feet into the cargo bay of the pirates' ship, and a broken nose complete with two black eyes from a mean blow to the face.

What killed Naruto was that it would be so easy to fix all that. One dose wouldn't cause any permanent changes. Even without his cum, he had the powers to reshape Hana's body back into a healthy form. But he couldn't risk it. She was a ranking member of the Konoha Federation Navy. She had duties and obligations, her entire career ahead of her. When she got back to Port Heracles, there would be reports and questions. It just wasn't worth the risk. Besides, he highly doubted she'd throw that all away just to spend eternity by his and Hinata's sides.

Still, it was a shame. She really was quite a lovely girl, past all the current flaws and imperfections. Naruto stroked the facial tattoo, probably a clan sign, of a red fang on her left cheek. The mental image Hinata had teased him with haunted him. It was so tempting to imagine this battered, broken bird being restored under his hand into a queen of the sky. But alas, it wasn't meant to be.

Naruto left the passenger cabin and went for the Cockpit, checking the long-range scanners with fervor. Now that it was confirmed that pirates were praying on passerby, Naruto was extremely determined that the Fool's Gold wouldn't be next. But the route seemed clear, showing they had a day and a half until reaching the system for Port Heracles.

Everything in his domain confirmed as stable, Naruto keenly felt how sweaty he was. He'd forgotten how hard combat could be on the glands. He retreated to the main cabin, made sure Hinata was still asleep, and then shucked his clothes to enter the bathroom. There was a time when he would have folded them before placing them in the hamper, but since he'd gotten Hinata in his life, he'd been much less fastidious about his cleanliness. His inner need for dominance was more than fulfilled by the bubbly bluenette.

Naruto went through the familiar motions of getting himself clean. Then he just lay there under the flow, feeling the warm water wash over him. 37. That's how many more bodies he'd added to his count that day. They were pirates, worse than scum, the vermin of humanity. To watch an Oni do what Oni did to women and LAUGH about it! Naruto felt no guilt whatsoever for whipping their lives away. But still, the number was burned into his brain. He supposed what bothered him was how easy it had been. Psychic Speed and Strength turned an automatic rifle from a kicking cannon to a smooth, sleek crossbow. He could have done tricks while firing, if he'd really wanted. But no, he'd just planted a bullet or two in each target's chest or head. And if murder, even well-intentioned, legally excusable murder, could become a game to someone like Naruto, then they were all in big trouble.

Naruto was broken from his brooding by a knock at his mental door, coinciding with a pair of strong arms wrapping around his waist. *Hey,* he sent to his Matriarch. *I thought you were still asleep.*

*Sound of the water woke me up. I come in here and find you isolating. So what's on the Uzu's mind?* Hinata asked.

*Just wrestling with my humanity, or whatever you want to call it. I killed a lot of people today.*

Hinata ran a comforting hand up Naruto's cobblestone abs. *Were they really people, though? Those guys made some of the gang members back on Karron look like saints. It's like stomping out plague rats, the way I see it.*

Naruto turned to look down into her face. *You really have no guilt? You killed that Oni, remember? Most people are shaken up by their first murder.*

Hinata shrugged. *It was a rapist and a killer. It was threatening the life of an innocent young woman. I was in a position to protect her, so I did. Simple math, really, at least for me. We good guys, they bad guys,* she fake grunted in her thoughts.

Naruto rose a brow. *That might be some more of the personality changes inherent to the Thralldom, though. Combat morality, a black-and-white sense of ethics.*

*Maybe so. But I'm not going to shed a tear over killing some overgrown sex gorilla or helping you rescue Hana. If you struggle with your conscience, then I'll do anything I can to help soothe and comfort you. But my own, altered or otherwise, is clear. At the end of the day, some negatives were removed from the universe and a positive was saved. Case closed.* So saying, Hinata leaned up to place a tender kiss to Naruto's lips. *Now, the shower is about relieving stress. Seems like you've been stimulating it instead. We'll have to do something to fix that.*

Naruto grinned and looked into those lavender eyes that meant more to him than anything in the world. *Gods, it's like you were made just for me.*

*I was, remember?* she teased. *Now, I missed lunch. Would you like to feed me here or in bed?*

Naruto smirked. His large, strong hands grabbed the insides of her thighs and lifted. With an 'eep', Hinata found herself held up against the shower wall, Naruto's hands in the crease of her knees. She was utterly helpless in this position, totally at his mercy. Settling into her new position, she reached out to wrap her hands around the back her partner's neck. Naruto eyed her up and down, the strain of supporting her whole bodyweight not even showing on his musculature.

*For an appetizer, I figured I'd made you cum your brains out as many times as you can handle around my cock. Then we'll finish off in bed with me hosing your meal down your greedy throat into your empty belly.*

*I wholeheartedly endorse this menu!* Hinata chirped, eyeing where the turgid shaft was growing to full prominence between them. It was always a wonder to watch Naruto's sleeping equipment transform into the womb-penetrating spear that was its natural form. Once it had reached its full size, Naruto angled his hips to lay the tip at the tiny entrance to her inner passages. Hinata bit her lip, waiting anxiously for that first, anticipated stretch. Finally, after making her almost beg for it, Naruto pierced her body with his cock.

They both groaned as he slid home until his quad were packed up against her ass cheeks. Her walls spasmed around his length, the cervix forced wide by the invading pillar. *I love how it feels when your big cock is all the way inside me,* Hinata thought dreamily.

*What a coincidence. My big cock loves being all the way inside you.* Naruto leaned in to kiss Hinata, before pulling back and squaring himself. *Now, to fuck you into a coma!*

Naruto began to piston his hips, driving his prodigious prick in and out of Hinata's pussy with mechanical regularity. Held up against the wall, Hinata could do nothing but take each thrust. Every inch of cock passing to and fro within her inner walls sent waves of pleasure crashing down on her. Hinata cried and wailed as she was driven over the edge into an orgasm that never seemed to end, the waves and peaks of one release ending just as the next began.

Naruto kept rigid control over his body as he inflicted massive amounts of bliss on his woman. When he sensed she had reached her limit, around the sixth or seventh consecutive orgasm, he pulled out. He led her out of the shower, grabbing two towels from the heated rack to dry them off. His length was purple and angry-looking, but they both ignored it for a moment. Until Naruto sat down on the edge of their bed and Hinata fell to her knees before him.

Naruto's head fell back as Hinata deepthroated him like a pro. Within a minute, the caress of her throat and mouth pushed him over the limit of his endurance. With a strangled yell, Naruto let loose the contents of his testicles. Squirt after squirt of Uzu semen was fed down Hinata's mouth and into her belly, which soon rounded out from the sheer amount being fed to her. Naruto collapsed back on the bed, utterly spent from his marathon fuck in the shower and the sweet release provided at the end.

Hinata licked her lips, savoring the creamy, vanilla-like taste of her man's juice. She heard a small noise behind her. Turning to look over her shoulder, Hinata saw Hana standing awkwardly behind the edge of the door. She must have come to investigate the sounds they were making. Hinata sent the traumatized Naval Lieutenant a reassuring smile. Unfortunately, that seemed to be too much for the poor girl, who fled as soon as she saw she'd been noticed.

*We had an audience,* Hinata alerted her master in all but title.

Naruto blinked himself out of his pleasure coma at busting such a huge nut. *Well, it's a shame she missed the real show, then, isn't it?*

Hinata's eyes flashed. *You joke, but we saved that girl's life. In certain cultures, that means we own her. She could just vanish, another casualty of that Corvette attack. A week with you feeding her and she'll barely be recognizable.*

*I'm going to stop you right there. She probably has a family. She has a career ahead of her. We're not offering her the Gift unless she asks to leave the Navy and join us.*

Hinata pouted. *Oh, darn. And I thought I had finally found a lesbian lover. And the "Gift"? Is that what we're calling it?*

*Immortality, magical mind powers, and a lifetime membership to my personal harem? Sounds like a Gift to me.* Naruto grinned. *I'll check on Hana again. You probably shouldn't be seen by her until your tummy goes down. Maybe read the Holonet in bed?*

*Okay, babe. Don't tease her.*

*I wouldn't dare,* Naruto protested.

Naruto got dressed in fresh clothes and walked to the passenger cabin, a spring in his step. Not only had Hinata provided a very pleasant outlet for his stress, she had gotten him over his brooding. Naruto entered Hana's cabin to find the girl laying on her side facing away from him.

"Hana? Are you awake?" Naruto asked kindly.

She tensed, but nodded silently.

"I apologize if Hinata and I made too much noise and woke you. We'll be more considerate from here on out," Naruto told her unabashedly.

Hana just might have squeaked. Now that Naruto was close, he saw that her cheeks were so red you almost couldn't see her tattoos. Deciding to abandon that line of conversation, Naruto regarded the bandaged weals on Hana's back. "You want some painkillers?"

Hana nodded quietly again. Naruto fetched a couple tablets from the trauma kit and a glass of chilled water from the dispenser. He gently helped Hana sit up, wincing in sympathetic pain as she groaned.

"Here you go. Feel better and get plenty of rest, okay?" Naruto encouraged as she swallowed the pain pills.

Hana nodded. She curled up back on her side and within seconds was out like a light. Between the fast-acting meds and her own exhaustion, it was a wonder she'd made the trip all the way to the main cabin in the first place.

Naruto rejoined Hinata in the cabin and they scrolled and played together on the Holonet. They had a late dinner, Naruto chewing a sandwich with one hand with the other on Hinata's bobbing head. They slept together, taking the time to ward themselves before bed as had become their habit. The next day was uneventful. The long-range scanners showed nothing, so the pirates weren't in pursuit. Naruto busied himself with maintenance while Hinata kept an eye on Hana while continuing to accumulate useful knowledge from the Holonet at a rapid pace. Hana woke just once, and asked for more painkillers immediately. Hinata fed them to her, her heart breaking at seeing the smaller girl in pain.

*Is this how you feel when you look at me?* Hinata asked as she watched Hana fade out again.

*Mostly. Believe it or not, I want to fuck her less than you do, so I'm not quite as horny as you are. But yes, feeling big and like you want to cover them up and hide them away from all life's imperfections, that's male protectiveness to a tee.*

Hinata sat up. *I consider this my new project. I'll keep in touch with her after we drop her off, I'll become her friend, I'll share secrets. I'll do whatever it takes to convince her she wants to be your gal as much as I am.*

*And I wish you good luck, really. I'm just not holding out high hopes given her circumstances.* Naruto entered the cabin and held Hinata in a hug. *Come on, she's sleeping. You haven't eaten all day. I think you need a double helping.*

Hinata's eyes widened, completely distracted from Project Hana. *Two doses at once! I'll look full-term with triplets!*

*We'll find out, won't we?* And then Naruto used his Psychic Healing to have back-to-back blowjobs from his girlfriend. Her belly button popped out like it had their second day together. Hinata was one satisfied kitten after so much milk.

Around noon the next day, they finally made it to Port Heracles. Hinata marveled at the Konoha Federation structure as the Fool's Gold made its approach, Naruto describing their situation and uploading his After Action Report of the attack. The starport resembled nothing so much as a stacked set of plates, the cylinders of the decks interspersed with docking bays and other equipment. When Hinata compared the size of the superstructure to the Fool's Gold, she marveled at how such a thing had ever been built by human hands. Karron was one thing, it had started out as a giant rock and they'd carved a home out of it. This had been assembled from the materials of hundreds of worlds shipped in and then put together in the emptiness of space. It truly boggled the mind.

When they'd landed, the airlock was opened to reveal a medical team from the Port. Naruto led them through the Fool's Gold to the passenger cabin. The young woman stirred as she was transferred from the bed to an anti-grav stretcher. She looked at Naruto and Hinata in turn. "Thank you for saving me," she said simply.

Naruto smiled and nodded, while Hinata darted forward to plant a kiss on her cheek. "No problem, silly!" Hinata chirped. Naruto nodded at the medical staff, who began to lead Hana out of the Freighter and to the Port's extensive medical facilities.

*I hope they treat her well,* Hinata worried as she waved goodbye from the airlock door.

*The K-Fed picks a lot of fights it doesn't have to, but it takes care of the ones fighting them. They'll work on her physical injuries until there's no trace of them. As for the psychological ones, that's as much up to Hana as her therapist.* Naruto watched the woman until she entered an elevator. Then he closed the airlock door and went for the Cockpit. *Now, detour's over. Back to Olympus. This Tyrenium isn't going to sell itself.*

Hinata nodded and joined Naruto. She watched as he went through the protocol for leaving the starport and cruising out at port speed, absorbing the information in case she had to do the same in the future. On the way to the Nav Beacon, Hinata planned a new course, taking full advantage of her warp tunneling technique. She managed to shave down the trip to a mere 8 days, a feat that Naruto gave her a standing ovation for. Once they'd accelerated into hyperwarp after passing the gravity well, Naruto gave her a much more physical demonstration of his appreciation.

The next week passed quickly. Naruto did maintenance most days, when he wasn't practicing his psychic powers. Hinata did the same, as well as playing with the Holonet reader. At mealtimes, like clockwork, they had sex, and it never got boring. If anything, it only got better each time. They were in love, and every second together was a second with their soulmate. Hana called after a couple days, and both of them got to know her, sharing long conversations with the convalescing young woman.

When they arrived at Alpha Centauri, they found themselves suddenly crowded for space. Hundreds of spacecraft came from every direction, headed towards Olympus Shipyard on the second orbital path around a planet Naruto told Hinata was named Gravitus. Naruto pulled them into the flow of traffic, the Fool's Gold's poor engines having them move at a snail's pace compared to some of the other ships. They were also the size of a snail next to an elephant compared to some of the ships coming in. Hinata gaped as they passed a ship with gun barrels large enough for the Fool's Gold to fly in.

*It's a lot scarier when you're up against something that big,* Naruto warned her.

*How big is an Uzu ship?*

*About 2000 meters long and 16 decks high. So the size of a K-Fed Dreadnought, give or take.*

Hinata blinked. *How much is that going to cost? We may NEED the extra Tyrenium from Karron to build something that big.*

*No idea. I have no idea how to synthesize the main material, it's some kind of superalloy. Tenten will be better able to explain it than I can, once she's enhanced and has a copy of all the schematics in her head the way I do.* Naruto made a minor course adjustment. *It's going to be hours before we're even in hailing distance. We could be waiting here a while.*

Hinata grinned and stood up. She strutted away, hands coming up to cup her own hips. She looked over her shoulder with a smoldering eye, to find Naruto drooling after her. *Then we better find a way to pass the time,* she projected, before sashaying towards their cabin.

Naruto followed after much less gracefully.

A goodly while later, Hinata snuggled closer into Naruto's chest, her gravid stomach getting in the way. *So, how do we introduce me to your war buddy? What's my official role? Navigator? Co-Pilot? Cumbucket?*

Naruto grinned and kissed her hair. *How about XO?*

Hinata blinked. *As in, the second-in-command? The one in charge if you're not around? That XO?*

*Why not? As my Matriarch, you already are my second-in-command, we're just putting it in K-Fed crew structure. Besides, the Executive Officer's first and foremost duty is to lighten the Commander's loads. In that case, you're perfect for the role!* Naruto joked.

*No arguments here,* Hinata sent, rubbing the evidence of his latest load in her body. *But I still claim right of recruitment. They have to meet your approval, but I get to pick out people I want to join the pack.*

Naruto shrugged. *Done. Just know that it just won't be feasible for some, like Hana.*

*Never say never,* Hinata stated stubbornly.

After a brief nap to give Hinata's stomach time to settle, they got dressed and returned to the Cockpit. They'd made considerable progress in their flight and within ten minutes the intercom began to buzz.

"Incoming Freighter, please identify yourself and your purpose at Olympus Shipyard," droned a polite military communications officer.

"Uzumaki Naruto on the Fool's Gold to see Uchiha Sasuke," Naruto replied confidently.

There was a long, drawn-out pause. Just when Hinata was starting to get worried, the intercom buzzed again. "Please approach Docking Bay 47, Commander, Vice Admiral Uchiha will meet you there."

"Well, alright then. He got promoted again," Naruto muttered to himself.

Hinata was wide-eyed. "Vice Admiral? As in, one rank below an Admiral? Naruto, the K-Fed is as good as a militocracy in all but name. Your friend has the same amount of authority as a king of an old country on Konoha!"

"And it pays to have friends in high places, believe me." Naruto stood up to hug her. "Trust me, Sasuke is cool. Don't be intimidated by his rank. Treat him like any other man and he'll respect you for it."

Hinata looked down at her bodysuit, which left absolutely nothing to the imagination. "Not sure I'll be getting much respect in this outfit."

Naruto ran back to their cabin, grabbing his old flight jacket from the closet. He handed it to her. "You'll still have your legs on display, but this should cover the important bits."

Hinata put on the jacket, which smelt comfortingly like Naruto. It made her feel warm inside, that she was wearing yet another piece of his clothing. Still, she was getting a bit tired of the limited availability. "First thing to do after this deal goes through, shopping spree planetside!"

"I think we can afford that," Naruto said grinning. The Fool's Gold glided inexorably past Dreadnoughts and Battleships, before coming to its designated landing area. The old Freighter touched down gently. Naruto and Hinata bypassed the airlock for the cargo bay doors, opening them and walking out into the shipyard. The pervasive lighting made them feel warm.

A young naval officer walked up to them. "Vice Admiral Uchiha regrets he is unable to greet you in person today, Commander Uzumaki. He's in a meeting. I've been ordered to escort you to his office. If you and your companion would please follow me," the young Konoha prompted, before turning about-face and leading them towards the nearest elevator. Naruto and Hinata followed the unnamed aide on a trip through several floors and corridors. Finally, they arrived at an office room. The man stepped behind the desk and pressed a button to say "Vice Admiral? Commander Uzumaki and guest for you."

The double doors behind the receptionist's desk burst open, revealing a striking man in his mid-40s. His hair was a much darker blue than Hinata's, more midnight blue like ink than sapphire bright. His skin was smooth but for wrinkles, and pale almost like he were a worm like Hinata used to be. His left arm hung in a cast underneath a stylish suit jacket, his uniform jacket hanging from his shoulders. All in all, he looked intimidating, like business meets military.

Naruto went into a crisp salute. "Vice-Admiral," he greeted, the corners of his lips fighting to rise.

Uchiha Sasuke barked a laugh and returned the salute. "Commander Uzumaki! Good to see you, man! How long has it been?"

"Retired 11 years now," Naruto said neutrally.

"Sorry I couldn't meet you personally, damnable meeting overran… and who might this young lady be?" He asked, hawk-like eyes a curious shade of red locking onto Hinata.

Hinata gulped but held her ground. "Hyuuga Hinata, Executive Officer on the Fool's Gold. Very nice to meet you, sir."

Sasuke eyed her up and down and, seeing her confidence never waver, deemed her passable. "Call me Sasuke, please, Hinata. Naruto, civilian life seems to be serving you well!"

"No complaints here," Naruto said jovially, reaching out to take one of Hinata's shaking hands. *Relax, babe, he likes you.*

"Let's go in my office and catch up," Sasuke stated, leading Naruto and Hinata into an impressive office. The true feature wasn't the size though, it was the floor-length window showing the traffic coming in and out of Olympus, Alpha Centauri glowing in the background.

"Hell of a view, Uchiha," Naruto commented.

"A touch from big brother, no doubt, but I'm not complaining," Sasuke grumbled good-naturedly. "Now tell me Naruto, what brings you to see me after all this time? I can't imagine you came all this way just to relive old war stories." He smiled good naturedly.

Naruto turned to look back at his old friend. "Tyrenium... 10 tons of it."

Sasuke looked startled before he whistled appreciatively. "Civilian life really has been good to you Naruto."

Naruto glanced at Hinata, before nodding emphatically.

Sasuke tapped his chin thoughtfully. "I'll take the whole cargo if you're willing, just name your price."

"250 million ryo" Naruto replied without pause.

Hinata still had to suppress a squeak when she heard how ludicrously priced the ore really was.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "Done. You know this conflict with the Kumo Empire has us over a barrel, don't you?"

"I read between the lines. And a man has to make a living," Naruto said, holding his palms up as of to say 'what am I to do'.

Sasuke laughed and he reached out to shake Naruto's hand, sealing the deal. "Congratulations, Naruto, you can retire for real now. Credit transfer okay?"

Naruto held out his ryo chit. Sasuke plugged it into his desk and made a few commands. And just like that, a quarter billion ryo was transferred from the Olympus Shipyard Administrative Account to Naruto's personal account. Hinata watched the chit as Sasuke handed it back to Naruto, aware that he now carried a fortune in the electronic device.

"So, I can't help but notice you both have similar ears. Did you finally make some progress on tracking down your father or finding our what he is, Naruto?" Sasuke asked.

Hinata and Naruto traded glances, communicating at the speed of thought. *What do we tell him? I'm fine with whatever you decide,* Hinata assured.

*I'm not sure, I never thought about this kind of situation with people I know when I gave you the ears.*

Hinata eyed Sasuke. *I like him. And unless I'm blind, he likes you as a friend and is attracted to me. We could make the pitch to him.*

*Sasuke? He's way too high-profile!*

*I didn't hear a refusal, just an obstacle.*

Taking matters into her own hands, Hinata spoke. "Naruto still hasn't found his birth father, though he has discovered what species he is. He then… Adopted me into it, you could say."

Sasuke narrow his eyes. "Adopt into a species? Sounds impossible."

"No, just needs the right tools. Naruto?" Hinata prompted.

*One way or another, you won't be able to walk tonight for pulling this stunt,* Naruto projected. "Turns out the Uzu, my people, have the power to radically alter DNA. Hinata and I made the mutual decision to make her an Uzu, so we could be more equal as a couple."

Sasuke blinked. "Wow. That's, incredible. What else can the Uzu do?"

Naruto gulped. He really hoped the room wasn't bugged, but it was too late to stop now. "Uzu have psychic powers. ALL the psychic powers. They're functionally immortal. And they have obscenely good tech."

"How come I've never heard of them, then?" Sasuke challenged.

Naruto sighed. "I was born with an ancestral memory of all the Uzu tech and powers. I… unlocked it after my retirement. To date, I've packed the resources to build any of the tech. But the powers, I've been working on since I met Hinata and she unlocked them for me. As far as I know, Hinata and I are the only Uzu in the Galactic League."

Sasuke leaned back in his chair. "I don't suppose I can see some of these powers?" He asked leadingly.

Naruto shrugged and snapped his fingers. A ball of blue, eldritch flame appeared above his open palm.

Sasuke's jaw dropped. "Holy shit!"

Hinata stood up and walked over to touch his arm through his coat. She focused hard for a minute and then she let go. "There. You're arm is fixed."

"It's been dead weight from nerve damage for eleven years," Sasuke protested.

"Try moving it," Hinata insisted.

The look of shock and then joy that crossed Sasuke's face as the fingers of his left hand moved was a sight to see. Sasuke ripped off the cast and sling, holding his arm out and marvelling at it's every move. Tears came to those red eyes. "I… I don't know how to thank you."

"You can give the offer Naruto is about to give you some serious thought," Hinata answered.

Sasuke turned to Naruto, who looked downright anxious. "Listen man, you don't have to accept this. I'm perfectly okay with walking away and leaving you with the Tyrenium and your arm. What I'm about to offer is weird, strange, downright odd."

"But will result in a lifetime of happiness and contentment, at the very least," Hinata added on.

Sasuke cradled his left arm to his chest. He looked from it to the two of them. "I'm listening."

Naruto sighed. "I can make you an Uzu, the way I made Hinata one. You'll get the psychic powers and the unaging body. But you'll also be bound to me on every level. Mentally, emotionally… physically. This isn't an offer I make lightly, nor one you should take lightly."

"Naruto, I just saw you pull fire out of the air and your girlfriend give me my arm back. I am far past 'lightly', believe me," Sasuke stated.

Naruto sighed. "Okay, but the mechanics of becoming an Uzu are… unconventional. Tell me, do you remember the rumors that went around about me?"

"That you had four balls and were hung like a donkey? That's all in your file. Didn't bother me, but then you never tried to show me either."

Naruto winced. "Well, that's the thing. The way to become an Uzu is… to drink Uzu semen."

Sasuke blinked. "Come again?"

"Three times a day for a full week, you get down on your knees and blow the Commander here. You do that, and you'll transform into an Uzu. If you're anything like me, you'll become addicted and want him to do it all the time in whatever way he wants it," Hinata said brightly, licking her pink, pouty lips.

"Yes, thanks, Hinata," Naruto said drolly. "Like she said, three doses a day for about seven days is enough for the transformation to be complete. But you won't just be becoming an Uzu. You'll be psychically imprinted on me. I'll be able to hear your most intimate thoughts and you'll hear mine. I'll know your every secret and you'll know mine. It's incredibly intimate. For Hinata and I, it led to us falling in love. For you and I, I'm not sure."

"Though there are some changes that his cum makes besides just remodeling into an Uzu," Hinata pointed out.

Naruto winced. "Yeah. It's hardwired in, but the people who drink my cum have their personalities altered on a certain level. I've known Hinata the whole time and I can safely say she's only changed for the better. But I understand how that can be a dealbreaker for some."

Sasuke bridged his hands. "What kind of changes?"

"Bisexual, perpetually horny, no jealousy to speak of. Constantly fantasize about children, extreme discomfort at the thought of Naruto leaving or dying. We're not sure about this one, but lack of guilt over murder might be on the list." Hinata listed them off on her fingers.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "Naruto… this isn't standard Uzu protocol, is it?"

"No. Standard protocol is to amass an army of unthinking Thralls and waging galactic war. I'm trying to gather a team of friends and family to protect the League and ourselves. Hinata liked you, which is why she pressed me to make the offer to you." Naruto gulped. "And now I've made it."

"So to summarize, I engage in oral sex with you at least 21 times, after which I'll be slightly altered in personality, immortal, psychic, and linked to a group mind you're growing with Hinata here. I may not be in a position to leave or even capable of thinking of leaving after such time, so I'll be stuck with the two of you and whatever other people you recruit… forever."

Naruto winced. "Yep. That's about it."

Sasuke looked down at his arm again. "I'll consider your offer. Now, before you leave, there's something I wanted to discuss with you, Naruto."

"What is that?" Naruto asked, wondering what his old CO could need him for.

"The Invictus is being decommissioned. She's going up for auction soon. I'd prefer to see her stay in the family, so to speak," Sasuke said, tapping a few keys on his console. A hologram of a sleek, 500 meter long ship appeared in the air, the name 'Invictus' emblazoned on the side.

"This is the ship you served on?" Hinata asked, recalling hours of Naruto's war stories.

"Naruto for 10 years, me for 16," Sasuke explained. "You never forget your first command."

"Why is she being decommissioned?" Naruto asked.

"Assault Cruisers are old-fashioned, clunky wastes of armor and arms, according to High Command. It's all about Dropships and Carriers these days. I'd save a fortune in gun costs selling her to a Consultant rather than a civilian." Sasuke eyed his former underling. "So, Naruto, what do you say?"

"It's too big for the two of us, or even the three of us. Automation can only do so much, right?" Naruto protested.

Sasuke calmly walked Naruto through various upgrades, renovations, and alterations they could make to modify the ship for a minimal crew. As he talked, Hinata realized this was a pet project for the Vice-Admiral, what he would do if he were in the position that Naruto was now. When he finished, Naruto could only grin. "Name your price," he said.

"150 million ryo and she'll be ready in a week," Sasuke said with a grin on his own face.

Naruto passed over the chit once again and had three-fifths of his new savings yanked. He and Sasuke shook to commemorate the deal, Sasuke using both hands, still not over the novelty of having his left arm back.

"You think about our offer, okay? You find us down on Gravitus or call us or anything, okay?" Hinata reminded gently.

"Will do, dear," Sasuke said. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a lot of work to do."

Naruto gave one last salute, which Sasuke returned, and then the two left the Vice Admiral's office.

* * *

**Will he say yes and join the fun? Will he say no and turn them in? And whatever will happen to Hana and Tenten? Find out next time on Wolves of Uzu!**


	7. Chapter 7

**For those hetero readers who have gotten this far, male same-sex relations officially begin this chapter. You've been warned.**

* * *

*That could have ended very badly,* Naruto sent at Hinata.

*But it might end wonderfully. Still, I'll take my punishment like a good girl,* she projected. *Now, wasn't there a promise of a shopping spree after we get rich?*

Naruto snorted. *You're incorrigible. But yes, I did promise that. Let's get down to Gravitus and then see how many of my millions you'll be able to spend in one afternoon.*

*I doubt I'll ever beat your record. Over half your fortune on one sale! Boys and their toys, I swear,* Hinata chuckled mentally.

*What can I say? The Invictus was home for a good portion of my life. And we need a combat-capable ship as a placeholder until we can construct an Uzu vessel. And like Sasuke said, it would be a shame if it didn't stay in the family,* Naruto argued.

*No need to convince me. I knew we'd be shopping for a replacement for the Fool's Gold. I just didn't expect you'd end up buying your old Assault Cruiser!*

As they chatted mentally, they retraced their steps through the shipyard to Docking Bay 47 and the Fool's Gold. The Navy munitions team had unloaded the Tyrenium as soon as the deal went through in Sasuke's office. The Cargo Bay looked very empty without the familiar ore containers. Naruto led Hinata to the Cockpit and they took their usual seats. Coordinating with Olympus Shipyard Flight Command, Naruto took an exit vector from the dock and began to approach the planet of Gravitus.

*So was Sasuke aware of your 'semi-retired' status?* Hinata asked.

Naruto shrugged. *Of course. He was my handler, for lack of a better term. But we've only contacted each other through text and vid-feed before today, so meeting in the flesh was kind of a big deal.*

*Ah, and he mentioned he'd save money selling the Invictus to a 'Consultant' rather than a civilian, now I remember. You're really allowed to own a Navy vessel with all the guns and kit still attached and functioning?*

*Military-grade weapons license, baby. Plus the knickknacks,* Naruto reminded.

*Ah, like the hacking device you used to steal the armor and equipment from the Corvette,* Hinata remembered.

Naruto winced. *I didn't steal, I requisitioned.*

*Po-tay-to, po-tah-to,* Hinata thought with a straight face, before bursting into giggles. *Oh, you should see your FACE!*

*I will tickle you until you pee. And that won't count as your punishment tonight,* Naruto threatened menacingly, looking at her with flat eyes.

*Sorry, sorry,* she thought ingenuously. But she did stop laughing. Hinata glanced at the monitor and saw they had two hours until they landed at the major spaceport on Gravitus. *Come on, it's lunchtime and I want a flat tummy before I try on any clothes.*

The trip down to Gravitus was spent in a pleasant post-coital nap, the two Uzu getting dressed in time to make the landing at Gravitus Spaceport Alpha. Naruto walked them through the lots upon lots of parked ships to the concierge desk. When Naruto asked for a hover-limo, the attendant took one look at Hinata and was falling over himself to flag down the appropriate transport. Apparently having a beautiful woman hanging off your arm was one of the identifying markers of the super-rich. They enjoyed a pleasant ride in an air-conditioned interior with seats soft as a cloud and exorbitantly overpriced nibbles to snack on. Hinata almost choked when she realized the sparkling water she'd grabbed without thinking cost as much as a month's supply of H20 back on Karron. Naruto reminded her that they were millionaires now, and they could spend hundreds of ryo the way normal people threw pocket change.

The hover-limo took them to a major retail center in the planet's northwestern quadrant. Hinata's eyes swiveled like an auto-turret, trying to take in all the new and strange sights. She'd never seen civilization that wasn't space-based before. This was her first honest time on an actual planet, and the thousands of little differences all stood out to her.

*Where do you want to go first?* Naruto asked gently, when prompted by the automated driver for a destination.

*I want to walk into the most expensive store on this planet and act like we own the place,* Hinata decided decisively.

Chuckling, Naruto keyed in the name of the most exclusive boutique on Gravitus. It was the kind of place where if you had to ask the price of something, you didn't belong. Everything was bespoke and customized for each individual patron. Naruto heard they used the latest in cloth 3D printing technology to make the clothes and alterations so fast. When they arrived, the door opened smoothly while a prerecorded voice implored them to 'have a pleasant day'. Hinata bounced out, reaching back in to grab Naruto and drag him out as well. The hover-limo moved itself to the small parking lot allocated for the shop, waiting until Naruto summoned it with his wrist communicator.

Naruto and Hinata walked in and looked around. It was very airy, lots of glass and delicate metal to create open spaces, but also with robust woods to backdrop some of the sample outfits. The result was a mix of ultra-modern and classic timelessness. Some of the attendants were messing around, trying to appear busy when they had no real task to do. They looked up as one when the doors opened, but most looked away disappointed. Naruto was aware that their military-like outfits made no hint at their wealth, but he would have expected the employees of such a high-end store to be better trained than that.

A gorgeous pinkette with a genuine smile walked up to them. "Hello, how may I assist you today?" she inquired, green eyes bright and eager.

Hinata read her name-tag. "Well, Sakura, my man and I have recently come into a great deal of money. And we both need new wardrobes to reflect that. I want anyone who sees us to think we look like a million ryo, and I don't care if it actually costs a million ryo for one outfit. I need to look my most gorgeous, and he needs to look his most handsome. Have at us, I say!"

Naruto chuckled. He well knew that the timid wallflower he'd first met in those filthy mining overalls would never have had to guts to talk to a pretty girl like that. *You've grown so much,* Naruto gushed with pride.

*Only cause I've been feeding on your confidence juice, but thanks,* Hinata projected as they were swarmed by attendants. Hinata's confidence and lack of economic fear had identified her as a proper client, as far as the others were concerned. Sakura deftly diverted their attention to Naruto, taking a personal interest in the blue-haired goddess that had entered her shop. The girls promptly went crazy when Naruto obediently took off his shirt for a fitting and they saw how statuesque his body was.

"I don't mean to be unprofessional, but you're the most handsome couple I've ever seen," Sakura told Hinata, helping her smooth out the lines on a dress she was trying out.

Hinata grinned. "Why thank you. It's always nice to hear that other women appreciate the prize that my Naruto is. As for me, well, proper diet and exercise, that's all I can say." And she wasn't even being ironic. Uzu semen and sex, the perfect combo for the perfect body.

Sakura went looking for a pair of shoes that would match the dress, noting Naruto being fawned over at the other fitting station. "He seems remarkably well-behaved, if I may say," Sakura noted, seeing how Naruto had yet to take any 'liberties' with any of the attendants, even with half of them throwing themselves at him.

"Oh, he could be balls-deep in any of them if he really wanted to and I wouldn't mind. Luckily, he's just that loyal to lucky little me, so I don't have to worry," Hinata said straight-faced. Sakura sputtered and choked, which had Hinata cackling. "Seriously, though, we're committed to each other but we're not exactly a… traditional couple," Hinata whispered conspiratorially. "We actually propositioned his old commanding officer just this morning!" she added like it weren't gossip at her own expense.

*What are you playing at, minx?* Naruto sent.

*Sasuke has decades of naval combat experience, Hana graduated top of the Academy, Tenten is a master gunsmith. We can afford to recruit someone that's purely eye-candy, can't we?* Hinata asked rhetorically. *Enjoying yourself over there?*

*Some of these gropes actually sting, they're so hard. It's not as fun as you think, being seen as a hunk of tasty meat.*

*Poor baby,* she commisserated.

"So long as you're both happy, then power to you," Sakura said eventually, recovering herself.

"Oh, we are. And we're set to come into even more money not too long from now. It's good to be us," Hinata said loftily, with enough humor that Sakura didn't think she was actually that arrogant.

They bantered back and forth for a couple hours as Hinata tried on a variety of sample outfits for every occasion, each one meeting her approval getting custom-made in the back in time for check-out. Unless Hinata was out of her mind, Sakura was enjoying the intimacy of the dress fittings as much as Hinata was. And the Uzu Matriarch didn't miss how Sakura's eyes kept darting to how handsome Naruto looked in a charcoal suit. When it finally came time to ring up the bill, Naruto went to the till while Hinata stayed back with Sakura for a moment.

"I really enjoyed our time together. Would you perhaps consider giving me your number so we can keep in contact? Maybe you could join Naruto and I for dinner one night," Hinata purred seductively.

Sakura blushed but she pulled out a business card. She scrawled something on the back with an old-fashioned pen, and then handed it to Hinata. The bluenette kissed it and then stuck it in the cleavage of her bodysuit. She then strutted over to Naruto, who seemed to be waiting for her. Hinata kept herself from gulping at the amount with only extreme discipline. Seeing she'd seen the damage she'd inflicted to his bank account, Naruto authorized the purchase.

They carried their overflowing bags outside, to where the hover-limo was waiting for them. They loaded their spoils into the trunk and then reentered the back of the luxury transport.

*Where to next?* Naruto asked.

*They weren't big on underwear in there. I'm going to need many, MANY sets of lingerie for you to rip me out of,* Hinata stated plainly.

Naruto chortled and keyed in a lingerie store. After the brief trip, he handed Hinata his ryo chit and waved her goodbye as she dived into the store. While she was occupied finding enticing pieces of lace and satin to wrap her body in, Naruto contacted the most luxurious hotel on Gravitus, the Magnus. Between his military rank and the amount of ryo he had to burn, they practically handed him their best suite. Naruto had just finalized arrangements for that evening when Hinata slid back into the car.

*You're remaining balance is still in the 90s, don't worry.* Hinata handed the chit back with a kiss. Naruto pocketed the marker of his wealth and had the hover-limo begin the trek to the hotel.

*So, you didn't even bother to take a peak while I was trying on all those sexy bits of cloth?* Hinata questioned.

*I trust you to pick stuff that will make my heart stop and dick eternally hard. I was busy setting up the next stop and your… punishment for tonight.* Naruto grinned in a way that, were he a different man, would have made Hinata very nervous. As it was, she felt her nether regions get delightfully moist.

They pulled up to the hotel and an army of porters, both human and mechanical, came forward to grab their bags out of the trunk. Naruto and Hinata walked through an elegant if overdone lobby to a special elevator. The quality of the music during the ride was such that it felt like the orchestra was in the elevator with them. The doors opened right into the suite's living room. Hinata gaped before dashing forward to check everything. Naruto directed all their purchases be placed in the main bedroom and gave generous tips to every man who'd helped.

*This place is nuts! It looks like we're right over a volcano!* Hinata exclaimed as she pressed her nose up against the window of the floor-length window.

*Gravitus started as a volcanic planet before the K-Fed started terraforming. There's still areas where the magma breaks free. Don't worry, it's perfectly safe and contained,* Naruto assured.

*So, what's next on the agenda?* Hinata asked, aware that Naruto had developed a talent for hiding certain details from their mind link.

*Now we enjoy a nice hot shower, you put on your 'little black dress', I put on my best suit, and we have dinner at the best steakhouse on Gravitus. Nutritious as it is, my cum must get boring after awhile.*

*Not at all, but I'm okay with eating out for a change,* Hinata assured. *How different can a shower be in a place like this from the one on the Fool's Gold?*

The two had an enjoyable, wet adventure as they nearly drowned testing out the various settings on the luxury shower spa in the hotel's bathroom. From "Tropical Rainforest" to "Monsoon" to "Angel's Tears", they went through the list and the slightly different configurations of hot, cold, and which spout fired and how. Rather than towels, they experimented with the full-body dryer that had them dry as dust within seconds.

*I think I prefer heated towels,* Hinata projected as she strutted naked back into their bedroom.

*Me too, actually, but a dryer's expensive ergo 'luxurious' so the hotel offered that,* Naruto explained. They both got changed into formal wear, keeping their eyes off each other so they could get the full effect at the end. Naruto was just trying his tie, surveying the bubbling magma far below, when Hinata gave a knock at his mental door.

*How do I look?* She asked, turning in a circle so he could see her from all angles. She wore a halter neck black sheathe of a dress that left her back open down to her dimples of Venus, and was cut up the side almost to her hip. It was classy enough to make her appear a lady and sexy enough to make her appear a woman. Naruto was ready to track down whoever designed that dress and shake them warmly by the hand for framing his woman's body so perfectly.

*You look hot enough to start a fight over. And I mean that as the highest praise.*

*You would, dumb Marine,* she joked. *You look quite distinguished yourself. Everyone who looks at you will assume I'm an escort or something.*

*Please! You're obviously my trophy wife!* Naruto countered.

They both broke out in giggles. Naruto stepped up close and kissed Hinata before taking her around the waist. In her heels, she was almost as tall as him. *Let's go hit the town, shall we?*

They caused quite a stir when they entered the lobby. Hinata felt self-conscious for a few seconds at all the staring and murmuring, until Naruto whispered into her mind. *All the women wish they were you and all the men wish they could be with you.* After that, Hinata held her head high. They slid into their hover-limo and Naruto keyed in the location of the restaurant where he'd already made reservations. After a brief trip, they walked into the steakhouse, the maitre d' leading them straight to their table.

Hinata followed Naruto's silent instructions to maintain ettiquette so she didn't appear the asteroid bumpkin she actually was. She ate with the outside fork and knife and worked her way in, let Naruto sniff and taste the wine before drinking her own, and otherwise just enjoyed the meal. They had soup, salad, shared a steak for two with sides, and Naruto talked her into giving the dessert sampler a try. The food was all divine, and they had plenty of fun making mental comments about the restaurant staff and the other patrons.

*Oh, I'm stuffed. I feel like I had dinner from you instead of with you,* Hinata groaned after finishing the last bite of some delightfully creamy cake called tiramisu.

*Well, I hope you saved room, because I intend to end the night with my balls resting on your chin,* Naruto thought lustily.

Hinata perked up. *I always have room for my favorite treat!*

They paid for the meal and took the hover-limo back to the Magnus. The meal had taken over an hour, so the suns were starting to set by the time they walked back into their suite. The two moons of Gravitus were high in the sky, in different phases. Hinata admired the view from the window of their suite.

*You sure know how to show a girl a good time. This has been the most fun day of my life!* Hinata sent.

*I wanted you to get a taste of the high life before we go back out into the harsh galaxy and fend for ourselves again.* Naruto eyed Hinata up and down. *Now, as for your punishment…*

Hinata tensed in anticipation. *Sasuke is one of the only friends you have. He'd make an excellent Patriarch for your male Thralls the way I'm a Matriarch for your female Thralls. I'm sorry for putting you on the spot, but I honestly believed it was for the best.*

*I know. That's why I'm going with the 'fun' interpretation of my threat of you not being able to walk tonight.* Naruto untied his tie. *Instead of spanking you until your legs go numb, I'm just going to fill you up like a balloon until you can't see your feet.*

Hinata shivered in delight at the prospect of being filled with so much of Naruto's spunk. She reached up to take off her dress…

* * *

Vice Admiral Uchiha Sasuke found himself in an elevator on Gravitus and wondering what the hell he was doing there.

His day had started at 0600 with his usual hour of physical therapy to keep his left arm from rotting off. Then it was meeting after meeting as he faced up to his duties as the Deputy Director of Olympus Shipyard, the heart of the Konoha Federation Navy. Mid-morning, he'd been pleasantly distracted from another lecture from his damn big brother by news that Uzumaki Naruto wanted to see him.

Sasuke had always respected the younger Marine, from the moment he'd first presented himself on the bridge of the Invictus to the fresh-faced Commander Uchiha. That respect had morphed into a lifelong debt when Uzumaki had saved Sasuke's life during the attack when Sasuke had lost the use of his left arm. When the Marine had retired, Sasuke had been the one to offer him the Consultancy position, not just as a favor to a fellow soldier but so they could keep in contact.

Were he anything but a Kinsey 0, Sasuke probably would have developed a small crush on Naruto. As it was, he considered him a 'friend', or at least one of the few other humans in the galaxy that didn't get on Sasuke's infamous temper. He'd happily cleared his schedule for an hour with his 'buddy' for lack of a better term.

And what an hour it had been. The Tyrenium would have been a godsend all on its own; ten tons was enough for one whole Singularity Driver! And then an innocent question about pointed ears had led to world-shattering revelations. His friend was a member of a race of psychics, rare enough in the vast galaxy. Not only that, but they had weird sex juju powers to enslave those that 'drank' from them. But of course, someone as noble as Naruto wouldn't do things that way. Instead, he was raising people to his status, creating a team, a crew of exceptional people to protect the universe. Sasuke had no illusions that Naruto would be meekly serving the Konoha Federation when he came into his full power, but would rather be operating as a galactic power in his own right.

So, after selling their old home and issuing the retrofit orders, Sasuke had been left to brood, an activity he excelled at. He had a choice to make, and it required careful deliberation. That had been the lovely girl, Hinata's, only price for restoring the mobility of his arm to him with the very powers that might one day be his to wield.

Firstly, Sasuke could do nothing. Just say no to Naruto and then bury the information. He'd turned off the interior surveillance of his office as a courtesy to Naruto before even inviting him or his companion inside. Of course, Sasuke wouldn't put it past Itachi to have put his own bugs in his office. So the secret of the Uzu might be loose anyway, But in the end, he could just continue about his old life, plus a working arm, until he eventually reached retirement age.

Secondly, Sasuke could bring this to his superiors, aka his brother. Sasuke could well imagine the string of events that would follow. Naruto and Hinata would be placed in government custody and experimented on to replicate their powers. That option was quickly discarded. Sasuke wouldn't do that to Naruto, let alone the innocent Hinata.

Thirdly, Sasuke could accept. Really, it seemed like a ludicrous deal. Immortality, if Naruto had been telling the truth. Many would kill for such a prize. On top of that, psychic powers, the ability to manipulate the world in ways that others could only dream of. All at the low, low cost of compromising his sexuality, though if Hinata was to be believed then that problem would soon vanish. Sasuke hadn't been blind to the writing on the wall: Naruto's team was also his personal harem. The Uchiha tried to imagine an eternity spent at his friend's side as more than just his friend. Well, at least Hinata would be there to, and she was lovely enough that Sasuke might have agreed to a threesome with them anyway.

Sasuke had floated through the rest of the day in a daze. When 2000 rolled around, he shook his head and, acting on impulse, looked up where Naruto was staying. The Magnus, of course, he was a multi-millionaire now. Taking his personal shuttle, Sasuke went planetside. En route, he had his assisstant pull some strings and clear his schedule for tomorrow. He'd gotten a complimentary ride in a taxi given his active duty status, and he'd waltzed into the Magnus lobby. A word with the manager and the name Uchiha was enough to get him access to Naruto's suite. And now here he was, in a moving room heading up the floors, wondering what had inspired this course of action.

Sasuke looked down at his left arm. In the end, it really came to that. He was grateful for his arm and felt the need to pay it back. And he had enough respect and dare he say care for Naruto to consider serving under him. And his military career was reaching a dead-end, anyway. He'd never eclipse his brother, and he wasn't particularly inclined to try. Maybe he could give the civilian/Uzu life a try.

The doors opened and Sasuke suddenly couldn't decide whether he was happy or upset he had photographic memory.

Naruto and Hinata were having sex. Very hot sex. Right in the middle of the hotel suite living room. Sasuke had caught them in profile. Naruto standing tall, his every bronzed muscle on display, holding up Hinata as she bounced in place on a cock that, based on Sasuke's brief glance, lived up to every rumor that went around the Invictus locker room.

Apparently, Sasuke had walked in just in time for the finale, for Naruto threw back his head and roared. HInata squealed and clutched him close. They stayed there, and to Sasuke's shock HInata's middle rounded out as if he were watching a time-lapse of her pregnancy. After the four mighty testicles hanging between Naruto's legs had stopped firing, his cock slipped out of her hole, diminished and still bigger than any Sasuke had seen. Hinata's legs came down shakily on the ground, like a newborn foal. She seemed to carry the weight of a bellyful of semen with familiarity. The two of them looked into each other's eyes, as if they were the only ones in the world. Naruto splayed a hand over the bump, and Hinata looked up at him with a doe-eyed expression.

It was a beautiful sight. It was also a very private sight.

Sasuke set his shoulders. Accomplish the mission, that's what he'd been taught from the cradle. "Sorry for walking in," he said flatly.

Neither jumped. They looked up as if they'd known he'd been there all along. For all he knew, they had. Psychics had extrasensory awareness, after all. "We're the ones who forgot the 'Do Not Disturb' button. Lucky it was you instead of some poor maid," Naruto said with a grin.

Hinata pranced up to Sasuke, totally heedless of her nudity or the seed beginning to leak down her legs. Sasuke watched her glorious, gravity-defying breasts move almost against his will. He'd always been a chest man. "So, Sasuke, what brings you here?" she asked with a playful grin.

Sasuke swallowed. This was it. The moment he decided to abandon his species for a life of debauchery. He felt so selfish. "I've considered your proposal and I was… wondering if it were still open."

Hinata grinned like the cat that got the cream. "For you, Sasuke, always. You were Naruto's first male crush, you know? That's part of why I was so interested in recruiting you. This is kind of a lifelong fantasy of his, having you in his bed."

"One step at a time, babe," Naruto admonished. Naruto walked up to Sasuke and laid a hand on the shorter man's shoulder. "Are you sure you've thought this through? You can back out before the third dose, that's the real point-of-no-return. But this time tomorrow, you could belong to me. Are you absolutely okay with that?"

Sasuke shelved his uncomfortability at being addressed and touched by a buck-naked man. "How soon does the bisexuality kick in? Because if I have to suck your cock, I want to be enjoying it."

Naruto shrugged. "As soon as the first dose. If you back out, you can consider that a souvenir. And your first dose doesn't even have to come from the tap, so to speak." Naruto nodded leadingly at Hinata.

Sasuke's jaw dropped. "You'd let me go down on your girlfriend?"

"She'll be your girlfriend too, if you join us," Naruto pointed out.

Hinata grinned and sat down on the couch. She splayed her legs, revealing her juicy quim and still gaping hole, which a steady trickle of white was producing. "I think this is what we should do for all the straight Thralls for their first time!" She chimed cheerfully.

Naruto grinned. "Well, Sasuke. It's up to you. The first of many meals of Uzu baby batter. You can turn around right now if you want to."

Sasuke gulped. Then, resolute, he began to take off his clothes. Once he was naked as Naruto or Hinata, he walked to the couch and kneeled down at the alter of Hinata's legs. He looked at her beautiful pussy for a while, girding himself for what he was about to do.

Hinata reached out a hand to caress his hair. "Don't think about it. Just dive in and drink. I promise, it tastes amazing."

"We'll see," Sasuke muttered. Then, closing his eyes, he pressed his lips to the opening of her vagina.

Sasuke was shocked when Hinata's words proved true. Naruto's seed did taste very good. Like a vanilla milkshake or buttercream frosting. Mixed in was the salty tang of Hinata's own juices, a bouquet that Sasuke could have savored all on its own. The more he had, the more he wanted, until he was pressing down on HInata's bump to try and force more to come out. About halfway through the experience, his memory started to blur…

Sasuke woke up to find himself tucked into a bed he couldn't have hoped to afford on his own. He sat up and looked around, only to find Naruto and Hinata entering the room. Both were dressed in casual fare of t-shirts and shorts, while Sasuke was exceedingly aware that he was nude.

"What time is it?" Sasuke asked, wondering how he'd gone from feasting on Hinata's snatch to sleeping in their room.

"About 1100. There's a 14-hour nap after the first dose, we should have warned you. You didn't have anything important scheduled this morning, did you?" Naruto asked.

"No, I cleared the day before I came here last night. I had a feeling this might take a while to hash out."

"Smart. I wonder how much smarter you'll be once you're enhanced," Hinata wondered aloud.

"Enhanced?" Sasuke asked, confused.

Naruto scratched the back of his head. "We didn't mention it, because it's not really a personality change. But I like my partners to leave me in the dust in the brain department. Hinata took an IQ test for fun and she ranked in the 99.9th percentile. Stick with me and your brain will get a similar tune-up."

Sasuke blinked. "Immortality, psychic powers, AND increased intelligence. You really do have quite the perk package built into your balls don't you, Commander?"

Naruto shrugged. "Well, at its heart, it's really designed to create an army of sex slaves. I'm just loopholing it to make more Uzu to stand at my side."

"And we appreciate it, stud," Hinata said, patting him on the chest. "Now, Sasuke, how do you feel? Wonderful, right?"

Sasuke blinked and took a minute to self-reflect. "Actually, yes. It's like every ache and pain I've ever had has just vanished."

"The healing properties of Uzu sperm, hard at work!" Hinata cheered. "So, you want to talk, or just get straight to the second dose?"

"Hinata, let the man breathe," Naruto chastened.

Sasuke breathed deep. "Now that I've started the ball rolling, I do have a few questions before I commit to following you all the way over, if you don't mind."

"Of course, Sasuke, ask away," Naruto said, sitting down on the corner of the bed.

"Are there any other changes you forgot to mention? Any way I may be altered?"

"You're going to transform into my ideal of the male body, the form I find most pleasing in my male partners. You'll grow to 6'1, pack on some muscle and lose some fat, and your cock will grow until it's just a bit smaller than mine. And you'll de-age to about 30, give or take. I like my men with some maturity, unlike my nubile schoolgirls."

"Wait, so I could have aged UP if you weren't into high-school cheerleaders?" Hinata asked. "Good to know I guess."

"What's our plan of action? Where are we going and what are we doing?"

"Once the Invictus is ready, we're going back to the asteroid I bought the Tyrenium from to get the last of it. We're also going to recruit Hinata's friend Tenten, if she'll have us. Once we return here to sell the Tyrenium, I was thinking of going on a tour of the Galactic League to look for information on the Uzu. The first stop is Suna."

Sasuke nodded. "Fair enough. Now, the obvious question: are you a threat to the Konoha Federation?"

Naruto's eyes rolled. "Of course not. I grew up here, I served. But I won't be a loyal puppet either. I'm not going to hand over all the tech locked in my genome over to R&D to play with. That's MY birthright. So I suppose you could say that I'm a friend of the K-Fed. And the moment they move against me, they lose that privilege."

Sasuke fought down years of propaganda and familial conditioning to consider that logically. "That's fair, I suppose."

"Once we're in an Uzu ship that can take down entire fleets, we'll be as good as a military power unto ourselves. The K-Fed had better stay on our good side," Hinata stated pompously. Then she giggled as Naruto reached out to tickle her. "I'm kidding! Well, not really. But the point is, we're not going to pick any fights, just finish them."

Sasuke nodded. "So, what's the timescale on my transformation? Any other naps built in? Can I get back to work by tomorrow? I'm going to have to call in a lot of favors to get my retirement authorized in time to ship out with the Invictus."

"The third dose is the most important, because that's what forges the psychic bond between us," Naruto explained. "There's a short nap after the second dose, but by the third you should be able to stay awake the whole time. After that, it's just a matter of drinking from me for a set amount of times so I can use my powers to work the transformation on you. You can leave tonight if you wanted, and we'll be bonded. We can wait to finish your transformation until we ship out for Karron."

"Now, for the question, will you have the second dose from the source or an intermediary?" Hinata said with her fingers flicking against each other. She flicked her hand and Naruto's t-shirt was pulled off over his head.

"Hey!" he protested.

Sasuke didn't care about the display of telekinesis. He was too focused on Naruto's chest and abs. How had he never seen the beauty in the harsh lines of masculinity? His heart would always belong to the gentle curves of femininity, but it was suddenly like a whole new world had opened up to him. Looking at Naruto, at all that bronze muscle on glorious display, Sasuke felt his mouth drying and a familiar stirring in his groin for a very unfamiliar reason.

Sensing Sasuke's eyes on him, Naruto stopped glaring at Hinata and blinked when he saw how hungrily his former CO was looking at him. A way that he'd always hoped he would look at him. Standing up, Naruto grinned saucily at Sasuke and proceeded to flex his muscles in a variety of poses. Sasuke moaned at watching the display, Hinata already naked and rubbing her clit in the corner watching the show between them. After blasting a most muscular, Naruto reached to the button of his pants and undid them. They fell to the floor, almost getting caught on his monstrous erection.

Sasuke made a sound in his throat. He hadn't gotten a clear look last night, but now he could see it in the morning sunlight: the most perfect prick in existence. It was the archetype to which every other prick aspired to be. Looking at it, Sasuke felt horribly inadequate, knowing his own equipment had no hope of matching up. But he felt a curious release in feeling so inferior, in not being the best, in being faced with an unquestionable better.

"Suck it," Naruto commanded.

Sasuke crawled over the bed to the edge, where Naruto waited with hands on his hips, that priapic pillar reaching out between them. With hesitance, for this was his first time doing anything like this, Sasuke opened his mouth wide and tried to fit the head inside. There was a rush of sweetness on his tongue…

Sasuke woke up tucked into bed again. He'd have wondered if the whole episode was just a dream, except the sunlight was coming from a different angle. He looked down and almost screamed when he saw a huge bump under the covers. Was someone there? But no, according to Sasuke's questing hands, it was him. His abdomen curved smoothly outward as if he were a woman in her second trimester.

"He comes a LOT, remember? This is what it looks like before you digest it all," Hinata provided as she waltzed in.

"I'm fairly sure this violates a few laws of biology, but I'll take your word for it," Sasuke muttered.

"Sasuke," Hinata stated, sounding very serious. Sasuke looked up, and if he didn't know better he'd be very scared of the look Hinata gave him. "I hope you appreciate the position Naruto is offering you. I am his Matriarch, his right hand, the mother to his firstborn one day. You are to be his Patriarch, his left hand, the one that builds what he dreams. There has NEVER been a bisexual Uzu before. You're the first male Thrall in the history of the universe. I hope you avail yourself accordingly."

Sasuke refused to back down. "I know you're too intelligent to be threatened by me, so this is from a place of genuine worry that I might abuse or fail at this station. I can only assure you that I have always respected Uzumaki Naruto. I respected him as my friend, my savior, and now I shall respect him as my lover and captain."

"Alright then!" Hinata said brightly, her previous tension vanishing like smoke. She bounced forward and gave Sasuke a kiss on the cheek. "Naruto went to test out the gym. He's down there making everyone else shit themselves at his strength. He should be back up around the time your belly goes down. You can keep yourself occupied however you want. I'm off to do some more shopping. I can't believe I forgot make-up and jewelry!"

Sasuke watched blankly as the teenager hopped out, ryo chit in hand. "If I have to deal with THAT for all eternity, then I sure hope she's a fireball in bed," he muttered. Sasuke considered getting something from the minibar, but he didn't really feel hungry or thirsty. Shrugging, he sat up in bed and pulled up the KFNN. He was curious how High Command was presenting the clusterfuck that was the conflict with the Kumo Empire to the public, along with what else in the galaxy merited any coverage.

After two hours of propaganda and fluff pieces, Sasuke heard the elevator doors open. The door to the bedroom opened and in walked a sweaty Uzumaki Naruto. Sasuke felt his mouth water and his body get hot as he saw those big arms and toned legs sticking out of a workout shirt and shorts. Was he turning bisexual or just Naruto-sexual? He couldn't tell.

"Hey, Sasuke!" Naruto greeted brightly. "Mind joining me in the shower?"

Sasuke gulped. "Okay," he said quietly. Shower. He could take a shower with him. Any more and he might spontaneously combust.

Naruto walked into the bathroom, shedding his clothes without concern along the way. Sasuke almost stumbled when he first saw Naruto's ass, but he followed behind. Naruto grabbed Sasuke's hand and pulled him to his side as they stood in the center of the shower stall.

"Summer Rain," Naruto commanded, and the shower activated along the named setting. The four overhead shower heads went at a gentle blast while the ones in the walls gave soft splashes. "This is the most normal setting Hinata and I managed to find," Naruto explained to Sasuke.

"Uh-huh," Sasuke said, finding it hard to decide where to look.

Naruto curved a hand around Sasuke's neck, guiding the older man to look up at his face. "You don't have to go through with this if you don't want to, Sasuke. You've only had two doses. One more, and that's it. We're locked together forever."

Sasuke saw the honest concern in the bigger man's eyes and relaxed. He reached out and hugged himself against that wonderful body that reflected the beautiful soul inside. "I'm ready if you are," Sasuke said simply.

Naruto grinned and hugged Sasuke back. They stayed there, under the warm water, until Naruto pulled back.

"Really should have done this before making you suck my dick," he muttered to himself, before leaning in to kiss Sasuke on the lips. Sasuke leaned into the contact, enjoying the interplay of their tongues and learning Naruto's style. For his first kiss with a man, he was definitely enjoying it.

Naruto leaned back and looked down where Sasuke's erection sprouted from a trim bush of inky hairs. "I owe you a couple of these," Naruto growled huskily before crouching down and taking Sasuke in his mouth.

Sasuke groaned as a wet warmth surrounded his most sensitive organ. Naruto proved to have as little a gag reflex as Hinata, taking Sasuke down to the root over and over, maintaining strong suction all the while. In no time, Sasuke was crying out as his two Konoha balls pumped their meager load down Naruto's throat.

"Mmm, I've wanted to do that since '58," Naruto said satisfactorily.

"From the moment we met? Why didn't you ever approach me?" Sasuke asked.

"No fraternization policy? The fact you were straight as a board? Any of those ring a bell with you?" Naruto teased.

"Well, now you're retired. And I soon will be too. And I'm much less straight than I was yesterday, your boys work quick," Sasuke noted.

"Isn't it great? Best of both worlds!"

"Or just twice as easily distracted."

"Always the pessimist," Naruto chuckled.

Sasuke eyed the purple prong from Naruto's own groin. "Will I remember sucking it this time?"

"You should. You got two doses already, immunity kicked in the third time with Hinata. But then, she drank from the spout both times."

Sasuke blinked. "Normally, hearing you mention your other lover would be a major buzz kill. But I just wish she was here to join us."

"Yeah, but she's in the limo on the way back," Naruto said casually.

Sasuke rubbed his forehead. "What's it like, being in constant contact with someone else's mind?"

"You'll find out for yourself after you blow me one last time," Naruto said with a raised brow.

Sasuke looked into those cerulean eyes and made his choice. He got down on his knees, so he was face-to-face with Naruto's third leg. He was still overawed just looking at it, or the quad of balls underneath. It was the epitome of masculinity, an idol Sasuke could see himself worshipping for decades. Taking a deep breath, he opened wide and took it down.

It was a surprisingly comforting act, like sucking a giant thumb. Even when Sasuke found himself deepthroating the monstrous erection, he didn't feel any panic. He just kept moving his mouth and throat up and down Naruto's length, giving HIS man pleasure, until the moment he erupted down Sasuke's throat and packed him so full his belly rounded out.

*Welcome to the Uzumaki Pack, Sasuke,* he heard in his head. And he knew his life would never be the same again.

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**And that's 60k words. I was hoping for more of a response by now, but I accept that this is a niche piece. I hope what few of you have found and stayed with this story appreciate where it's going. Please fave, follow, and review.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Got more reviews for last chapter than the rest of the fic. I'm touched. Let's keep the ball rolling.**

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Naruto looked down at Sasuke, stroking his rounded tummy with a contented expression. In his mind, one of the many compartments that awaited filling with his powers was now occupied by a representation of Sasuke. Like Hinata, he was an equal, no compulsion to obey Naruto built into the bond. Uchiha Sasuke was officially Naruto's Patriarch now.

"What do you mean by 'pack'?" Sasuke asked, standing up a bit shakily, his center of gravity much lower than usual.

Naruto reached up to feel the golden necklace he hadn't bothered taking off before entering the shower. "It's how I see what I'm doing. I was born a wolf, and meant to eat and slaughter the other creatures. Instead, I'm raising them to my level, building a pack that looks out for each other's backs. Hinata and I are the Alpha couple, and you're my Beta, the second strongest male."

"That's a charming metaphor," Sasuke mused. "And most wolf packs are polyamorous, so that works too. Though I doubt most have a randy bi Alpha that preys on both halves of the pack."

"Yeah, that's just something special about us we'll have to get used to." Naruto said. *Do you mind if we communicate by mind from now on unless in public? It's just what I prefer.*

Sasuke paused. *SURE, BUT I HAVE NO IDEA HOW IT WORKS!*

Naruto hid a wince. *A bit quieter than that, Sasuke. It's not a telephone, you don't have to shout to be heard.*

*Sorry,* Sasuke projected hesitantly.

*Better. Now, Hinata's back. Let's meet up in the living room.* Naruto dried Sasuke off with a towel before drying himself. Sasuke kept poking at his distended stomach, as if he couldn't get over the novelty of it. They walked naked into the living room where Hinata was just setting down a few bags.

Hinata turned to Sasuke, a smile on her face. After a second, she frowned. Then, feeling like someone were knocking on his forehead, Sasuke heard *Can you hear me now?*

Sasuke nodded. *Yes, I can.*

Hinata turned to Naruto. *That's odd. I'm linked to you, and you're linked to him. By the transitive property, I should be linked to him too. Instead, I have to contact him like he was just another psychic.*

*Well, it's only the Uzu who has a direct Astral Bond to each Thrall. You two don't have one, and I must not be able to act as a bridge between you two,* Naruto told her.

*Well, that'll get annoying real fast. I don't suppose you know another way to form an Astral Bond besides three doses of Uzu jizz?*

*Sorry, honey, I don't.*

"Well, then, I guess we're using our outside voices," Hinata groused. "Welcome to the family, Sasuke. Do you need to get back to Olympus soon?"

"No, I can leave early tomorrow," Sasuke said. "Did I just miss something?"

"Hinata and I were discussing how and why she couldn't hear your thoughts the way I can. It's apparently not as easy as three-way calling." Naruto sighed. "Oh well, guess I get to enjoy one on one time with either of you but you have to talk like anyone else."

"That shouldn't be too hard," Sasuke said, taking a seat on the couch. "So, what's the plan for the rest of the day?"

"Well, there's really no point in going shopping for you until you grow into your new body. And since you're leaving for Olympus tomorrow to set up your retirement when the Invictus is finished, that won't be until we're back towards Karron. So I guess you can get by wearing Naruto's clothes. And you just had your third dose, so you can't really go out in public. I don't know, trashy movies? Space Chess? Ooh, I want to try Neo Go but Naruto doesn't want to play."

Naruto sighed as he saw Sasuke's eyes alight. "You said the magic word. Sasuke here is a 6th dan Neo Go champion."

"7th," Sasuke corrected.

So Naruto found himself playing spectator as Hinata played a 3D version of the most complicated board game in history against a master. Once Hinata grasped how to surround and capture her opponent's pieces, she seemed to get very good very quick. Sasuke's eyes narrowed and he even started to bite his nails towards the end. Eventually, Sasuke won, after a two and a half hour game. And they'd played on a smaller 32 x 32 x 32 board rather than the full 64 cubed board.

"Not bad," Hinata acknowledged. "You have a ruthless cunning I'm happy will be on our side."

"Are you sure that was your first game? You played like a veteran," Sasuke demanded.

"Enhanced intellect, remember? I was getting better even as I played you as I analyzed and refined my play style. You'll see for yourself in a week or two."

Sasuke sighed. His stomach had flattened out, showing a respectable 4-pack for his age. "I can't believe I almost lost to a teenage newb. Itachi would never let me hear the end of it if he heard."

"Who's Itachi?" Hinata asked.

Naruto chuckled. "Sasuke's big brother, and the source of the shadow he's lived in all his life."

"Admiral Uchiha Itachi, Director of Olympus Shipyard. With some politicking, he could be next in line for Fleet Admiral." Sasuke sighed. "He's always made life look easy. He walked before he was a year old. Everything he wanted to do, he did. No matter what I do, I'll never measure up to him in our father's eyes. And he practically has a complex about protecting his precious little brother. I've always wondered how much of my career was my own accomplishment and how much was his influence."

Hinata made a face. "Yeesh. Well, can't help what you're born with. Is he going to be an obstacle to you coming with us?"

"No, I don't think. I'll have to write a very convincing note, but I should get his approval to leave the military. He only wants what's best for me, and if I decide that's life as a retired civilian, he'll respect that."

"Well, I don't know about you two, but I'm starving. I'm ordering room service. Either of you want to get in on this?" Naruto asked as he pulled up the hotel's menu on the free console.

"I'll go for something. Sasuke's the one who gets the honor of getting you for dinner until he's earned his ears," Hinata stated.

"Earn my ears?" Sasuke asked, bewildered.

"The final part of the transformation is getting Uzu ears. It's purely cosmetic, but I wanted my future family to look like me," Naruto admitted. "Once they're pointy, that's the mark that you don't HAVE to keep drinking from me. Whether or not either of us want that keep happening is another matter entirely."

"There's going to be a bloody rota once the crew starts getting big. Monday morning, Hinata. Monday afternoon, Sasuke. Monday evening, Tenten. Tuesday morning, Hana…" Hinata dissolved into giggles at her own joke.

Sasuke tilted his head. "Tenten is Hinata's friend from the asteroid with the Tyrenium, yes? Who's Hana?"

Naruto finalized the order, having confirmed Hinata's choices telepathically while she was busy laughing. "Inuzuka Hana is a Second Lieutenant Hinata and I saved from a pirate attack. Hinata grew a little attached, and now she's on a campaign to see to it that she becomes my Thrall by any means necessary. She's not like you, though, able to just retire and relatively few questions get asked. Plus, I looked up her file, and she has triplet brothers and a mother serving active duty. She's not going to abandon the Konoha Federation to sail with an Uzu, once she's aware that's the choice she'd have to make."

"That is your opinion, which just happens to be wrong," Hinata fired back. "You're the white knight who saved her life. She's already half in love with you, I can tell when we chat on vid-feed. Throw in immortality, a smoking hot body, and psychic powers, and she'd follow you to the ends of the universe. And besides, we'll need a Tactical Officer on the Invictus and she graduated with top marks for accuracy."

Naruto sighed. "Informed consent. That's what I need from her, Hinata. And I know you're smarter than to discuss Uzu secrets on an open comm channel."

"So let's stop by Port Heracles on the way back to Karron and make the offer!"

Sasuke was looking between them like he was tracking a tennis ball during a match. "You both have good points," he spoke up. "But I have to side with Hinata here, Naruto. We WILL need a Tactical Officer. I have over a decade of experience of fighting in the old gal, but I'm not the one who actually pulled the triggers. You were a Marine, you didn't even spend much time on the Bridge. And it would be pretty unreasonable to ask Hinata to pull double duty as XO and as gunner. I say you find this girl and lay out the facts and hope for the best. If she refuses, we wipe her memories or whatever to protect the secret. Otherwise, we get a new addition to the crew, and more importantly the pack."

Naruto held up his hands on surrender. "Okay, okay! I hear you! We'll go and try to recruit Hana on the way to Karron."

"Yay! Sasuke, I could kiss you!" She blinked. "So I will!" With that, she darted over and, before either of the men could react, planted one right on Sasuke's lips. Hinata pulled back, licking her lips. "You taste different than Naruto," she mused.

"That's normal," Naruto said, an involuntary smile on his face.

Sasuke blinked like he'd been smacked in the face with a fish. "I think this raises the very important topic of how relationship dynamics are going to work on this crew."

"That's simple. We all belong to Naruto, and he's gracious enough to let himself belong to each of us in turn. And we all belong to each other. Basically, it's a free-for-all when it comes to who you do what with." Hinata posed seductively. "In other words, I'm Naruto's bitch, but I can be your bitch whenever you want, Sasuke."

Sasuke's pale skin turned tomato red. "That's… a wonderful offer, dear. But I think I'll wait until Naruto has finished upgrading my equipment. After a month with him, you must be ruined for average Konoha men." Sasuke turned to Naruto. "And it doesn't bother you, seeing your Thralls get together without you?"

"You kidding? It just warms my heart, seeing my crew get along. Plus I know you're both eternally loyal to me, and that I can join in whenever I want, so there's no reason to get jealous."

"Okay. But what about… children?" Sasuke asked, suddenly hit with a piercing need to see a little boy who looked like him walking around.

"I get dibs on the firstborns for each female Thrall," Naruto stated unequivocally. "After that, up to the couple in question."

"Our family tree is going to be a mess. We'll have siblings who have no blood relation to each other. And they'll all be Uzu, so they'll all be immortal just like us. What happens if some of them want to pair off? Does it count as incest if there's no genetic risk? What happens if some of them want to join US, their parents' pack? We're going to have the biggest, most complicated family dynamic in the galaxy," Hinata moaned, just now considering the logisitics of an open harem settling down.

"We'll cross those bridges when we come to them. For now, we're still building up the pack in the first place." At that moment, there was a warning chime from the elevator doors. Naruto threw a blanket at Sasuke and pulled on his shorts from earlier. The poor female attendant who delivered the meal was treated to quite the feast of her own as Naruto gave her a nice tip and took the dishes from her.

"Okay. Fish and chips for Hinata, complete with old-fashioned newspaper wrapping. Burger for me. Since you've never had it, I'm allowing you to have soda pop with your meal. Just know this is a special treat. I was raised against the dangers of sugar water," Naruto lecture as Hinata cautiously sipped from her cola.

Her eyes lit up. "I see what you mean. Anything that tastes this good must be bad for you. Is there drugs in this?"

Sasuke chuckled. "Actually, one cola brand used to have cocaine, a refined stimulant derived from the coca leaf, as part of its recipe. I forget the name. They eventually removed it."

"I forgot what a history buff you are. Wasn't that back during, like, the 20th century?" Naruto asked before taking a bite of his juicy burger with all the fixings. Except pickles. Don't ask him why, Naruto simply hated pickles.

"If we don't remember the mistakes of the past, we are doomed to repeat them. Just look at the Ganymede Incident!"

Hinata looked up from dipping a potato wedge in the offered vinegar. "Ganymede Incident?"

"I'm not surprised you didn't pick it up when scrolling the Holonet, the military kept it mostly under wraps." Naruto put down his sandwich and sighed. "Ganymede is one of the moons around Jupiter, in Konoha's home system. Two hundred years ago, the K-Fed was experimenting with A.I. to control a fleet of remote-controlled ships. That's when we 'discovered' the first law of robotics."

"Any sentient Artificial Intelligence will wage war against any and all organics," Sasuke stated darkly. "The A.I's killed the entire staff of the research facility and began building a fleet to wipe out humanity. We had to bring in orbital bombardment and half the Homeworld Fleet to wipe out the threat they posed. And every few decades since, some idiot in R&D dabbles in A.I. and the whole thing starts all over again."

Naruto sighed. "You're not going to want to hear this, Sasuke, but one of the tech schematics the Uzu have is for an A.I. Mainframe."

Sasuke sat up explosively. "Absolutely not! Naruto, you can't seriously want to unleash one of those monsters on your own ship!"

Hinata raised a hand. "Maybe it's like Thomas Edison and the lightbulb. There's hundreds of ways to get it wrong, but only one way to get it right. Konoha A.I have all been unfriendly; that doesn't follow that ALL A.I are unfriendly."

"Then how come no civilization in the entire Galactic League has published anything about A.I research almost since its inception?" Sasuke challenged the teenager.

"Because they all have their own version of the Ganymede Incident or heard of it and abandoned the research as a dead-end. But again, absence of proof of friendly A.I. is not the same as evidence it's impossible. And if anyone could have gotten A.I. right, it's the Uzu. They were capable of wormhole generation when Konoha were still sharpening sticks to make spears." Hinata swallowed a fry. "I say we build the Mainframe, turn it on, see what comes out. As long as we open it in a closed network, it won't be a real threat. If it turns out to be a dud, we destroy it and settle for soft automation for all our software like the K-Fed does. But I have a feeling it won't be a dud."

Sasuke turned to Naruto. "Uzumaki, side with me here."

Naruto shrugged. "Like Hinata said, there's no harm in a controlled experiment. And if it turns out friendly, then the crew will have gained a valuable ally."

Sasuke looked like he's swallowed a lemon. "... So be it. But I'll be first in line with the crowbar to smash it to bits once it tries to kill you."

"He really is a pessimist," Hinata commented. "Maybe getting laid will cheer him up a bit."

"He got a blowie from me this afternoon. What else would you suggest?" Naruto asked leadingly, a filthy smile on his lips.

"I'd say learning what it feels like being a sleeve for your colossal cock should brighten his day," Hinata said brightly. "He's had three doses, he'll stretch for you."

Sasuke was wide-eyed. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. It fit in one end, but that end has a much bigger entrance. If you stuck that up my rear, you'd perforate my intestines!"

"The first physical changes I make to my Thralls are to make them more malleable so they can take me fully," Naruto assured. "I've fucked Konoha men in the ass before without killing them. They enjoyed it, actually. But we don't have to start off with my cock. You could just take HInata's."

Sasuke double-blinked. "Come again?"

Hinata shucked off her clothes and stood up. Her brow furrowed for a second, and then a transparent white phallus appeared where her clit originated.

"Oh, fuck," Sasuke breathed.

Naruto came to his side and kissed his shoulder. "She's very gentle, I guarantee. It feels amazing."

"You… let her…" Sasuke sputtered.

"A little role reversal is healthy every now and then in a relationship."

"You think he comes a lot normally, it's nothing on when his prostate gets milked. The sheet's were dripping when we changed them," Hinata said in a voice made of sin.

"What do you say, Sasuke? For your last time until you join us on the Invictus, getting spitroasted between Hinata and I?" Naruto reached down to stroke Sasuke's leaking cock. "SOMEONE likes that idea."

Sasuke gulped before nodding hesitantly.

Naruto and HInata led him to the bedroom. Sasuke then found himself sandwiched between Naruto's 6'2 bulk and Hinata's 5'9 lithe frame. Naruto was kissing him the way Sasuke had always wanted to be kissed, like he was treasured. Hinata's hands played over his shoulders and back, before cupping his ass. Sasuke tensed, thinking Hinata was just going to rush into it, when he felt her get on her knees. Then he felt a wet, lapping tongue on his hole for the first time in his life. Sasuke would never be able to use the phrase 'kiss my ass' the same every again. While Hinata did her best to reach his prostate with just her tongue, Naruto took Sasuke's erection in his big hand and began to languidly stroke. Sasuke had never had a threesome before, but he suddenly saw the appeal, two people paying singular attention to your needs.

On some silent signal, Naruto and Hinata both withdrew. Sasuke was led to get on his hands and knees on the bed. He complied, feeling very submissive and for once not hating the feeling. Naruto was in front of him, leaking prick on full display, looking almost too big to be allowed. Hinata was behind him, he could feel her hair tickling his ass cheeks.

*No offense, but Hinata's going first. Wouldn't want you to bite down on me,* Sasuke heard in his head.

*Tell her I'm ready as I'm ever going to be,* Sasuke projected back. Sasuke then braced himself.

*Rookie mistake, don't tense. That'll just make it hurt. Relax from the top of your head to your toes, and stay there,* Naruto instructed.

Sasuke huffed a sigh, but he attempted progressive relaxation of all his muscle groups. At the end, he was much less tensed. Apparently deeming him ready, Hinata pressed the tip of her Psychic Construct to Sasuke's rosebud. Sasuke was aware of a warm pressure, as if it were a flesh-and-blood cock asking entrance into his body. And then, with a soft feminine hand stroking his lower back, Sasuke felt her push in.

Sasuke wasn't sure what he expected, but it wasn't a warm rush of fullness that made him feel complete. He'd expected some amount of pain. But no, nothing but contentment, if not real pleasure, at the sensation of being filled. And then Hinata brushed something and Sasuke saw stars. He let out an involuntary moan. And then Hinata's wide hips were pressed against his ass cheeks, and that warm weight was leaning on that magic spot.

"Good boy," Hinata crooned, massaging Sasuke's hips. "You took me in so well. You sure this is your first time?"

Sasuke couldn't be bothered to answer her, because Naruto had begun to feed his swollen length down his throat. Sasuke had never felt so… plugged, before. He had a wild moment imagining Hinata's cock growing until it touched Naruto's in the middle of his throat.

*Maybe one day, but that complicated a Construct is beyond either of us at the moment,* Naruto assured. *Now, to make you feel absolutely amazing.*

Hinata and Naruto began to withdraw and re-enter, developing a rhythm between them, with Sasuke passively taking it in the middle. Every stroke of Hinata in his ass sent Sasuke flying higher. Every pass of Naruto down his throat filled him with a bone-deep sense of satisfaction at pleasing the man he'd dedicated his new life to.

Finally, when Sasuke was shaking and his release was soaking into the sheets, Hinata pulled all the way out as Naruto finally unloaded his quad. When Naruto withdrew his shrinking shaft from Sasuke's mouth, the Vice Admiral collasped to his side. Big, bronze hands maneuvered him under the covers, and then Sasuke found himself face-to-face with HInata while Naruto began to spoon him.

"Sorry that I got to fuck you before you could fuck me," HIniata whispered.

Sasuke just grinned goofily. "Just think of it was I owe you one. Now, can someone set the alarm? I'm about to pass out."

"Sure, when do you need to be up?" Naruto asked.

"0500, that'll give me time to get back to Spaceport Alpha and from there to Olympus. I'll deal with everything on my plate and make the arrangements for my rushed resignation. I'll make sure the Invictus is ready for the three of us, especially." Sasuke began to nod off.

"Our thoughtful Beta. Don't worry, we'll be with you the whole time in spirit," Naruto whispered, before silently setting the alarm. In the next ten minutes, they all succumbed to slumber.

* * *

The next five days passed in a busy blur for our trio. Sasuke woke with the dawn after his one day with the couple, returning to the Shipyard for duty and to set up his own departure with them. Naruto was in constant mental contact with his new Patriarch, as much from a need to cement the relationship as concern for the man. Like Hinata, Sasuke learned to love having the Uzu's presence in the back of his mind. It was a wonderful distraction during dull logistics meetings to have the playful ex-Marine cracking jokes in his ear. Hinata returned to self-study on the Holonet, trying to get a decent grasp in every conceivable field so she could cover any need the crew had until finding an appropriate expert. She hadn't applied for any more degrees or doctorate-level exams like she'd done with her Navigator First Class license, but she learned enough she could probably pass all the tests if she had to. Naruto used the safety and large open areas of the hotel room to really begin to practice his psionics. When that proved boring, he either distracted himself with sex with Hinata or going back to the gym to break a few more machines and build his mythos among the hotel clientele and staff as a strongman.

The morning of Sasuke's retirement, Naruto was discussing the conflict with the Kumo Empire with him while Hinata chatted with Hana in the other room. There was a pause in the chatter of female voice, and then Hinata strode into the room.

"Hana's in trouble," she said simply.

*What's the problem?* Naruto asked with thought since it was faster.

*According to her, her old commanding officer is accusing her of 'dereliction of duty' and said something about a possible court martial. Can he do that?*

Naruto snorted. *Not unless Konoha Federation protocol radically changed in the last month without me knowing. The AAR I submitted should have cleared all this up. Is Hana still on the line?*

*Yes, I said I'd come ask your advice. She's really upset,* Hinata added, as they walked into the living room. Naruto sat down on the couch in front of where the Holonet reader was stood up, Hinata taking her place beside him. Hana's worried face filled the screen. Her black eyes had only gotten worse, and she still seemed not to have all her color. The bags under her eyes hinted at troubled sleep.

"Don't worry, Hana, we'll get this straightened out," Naruto promised.

"I can't be court-martialed Naruto! It would destroy my family!" Hana sounded near hysteric, she was clearly at the very edge of her tether.

*Sasuke, run a search at Port Heracles for any whisper of a court martial for Inuzuka Hana* Naruto commanded.

*There's nothing. Not even a disciplinary comment or note on her record. She's squeaky clean. Why the hell would she think she's getting court martialed?* Sasuke replied a few seconds later.

*Her old CO is apparently menacing her, saying she commited 'dereliction of duty' during the pirate attack.* While thinking that, Naruto managed to say, "You're not getting court-martialed, Hana. I just checked myself. There's nothing on record about any disciplinary action against you."

"That doesn't mean it can't be coming! Oh, fuck, what am I going to do? I SO don't need this right now," Hana muttered, looking in danger of mental breakdown.

Naruto put some steel in his spine. "Hana, calm down. Hinata and I are enroute to Port Heracles. We'll clear all this up in person. You have nothing to worry about except getting better. Okay. Please, calm down and leave this all to us."

Hana seemed to gather herself shakily. "Yes, Naruto." With that, she ended the call.

Hinata and Naruto shared a look. *Still think she'd never betray the K-Fed to come with us?*

*Her circumstances are not what I expected, I'll admit. We'll save her, one way or another, I promise.* Naruto switched 'channel's in his mind from Hinata to Sasuke. *Sasuke, we're headed up. The trip to Port Heracles just got bumped up in priority. Can you have everything arranged by the time we get up there?*

*I should be done in a couple hours, which is how long that rust bucket you call a Freighter will take to get up here. Speaking of, what do you want done with her? I can put in a final set of orders before my retirement kicks in.*

Naruto considered what to do with his home for over a decade, and knew exactly what to do. *Retrofit it to modern specs, then gift it to Umino Iruka.* Naruto gave a list of contact information. *I want a note to go with the transfer: 'Thanks for the tip about the worm girls'.*

*Will do, Naruto. When you get up here, I'll be a civilian. I don't suppose you have a job lined up for me?* Sasuke joked.

*You're my Chief of Staff, naturally. Third-in-Command, second only to Hinata and myself.*

Sasuke blinked, but he recovered. *A step down from Vice Admiral, but it will do. See you soon.*

Naruto sent the mental equivalent of a kiss before refocusing on Hinata in front of him. While he'd been talking with Sasuke, they'd been gathering all their new purchases into one spot. They were substantial. "We should have bought luggage," Naruto groaned, before fitting as many bags on each arm as he could.

"Next time," Hinata promised, before dutifully taking her own half of the bags.

Naruto settled the bill with the Magnus, and received a complimentary hover-limo ride back to Gravitus Spaceport Alpha. Naruto and Hinata walked the considerable distance to the Fool's Gold, and then left the bags in the Cargo Bay before going to the Cockpit and beginning the trek to Olympus Shipyard.

Hinata leaned back in the Co-Pilot's chair. *This is our last time in this ship. What do you say? One last romp in the sack to bookend our trip together?*

Naruto chuckled. *I'm saving up for 'marking my territory' once I'm on the Invictus. It's going to be a head-trip, owning the vessel I once served on. For some reason, I think blowing you and Sasuke up like balloons aboard will really put my mind at ease.*

Hinata shivered in anticipation.

They endured the two hour flight up to the Shipyard, enjoying the sight of all the traffic and the various ships going to and fro. Once they were in hailing distance, the intercom began to beep incessantly.

"Incoming freighter, please identify yourself and your business at Olympus" a military communications officer requested politely.

*He sounds exactly like the last one!* Hinata gaped, causing Naruto to chuckle.

"Commander Uzumaki Naruto, requesting clearance to land at the docking bay housing the Invictus," he answered the communications officer formally.

"One moment please Commander" The disembodied voice replied.

After a short pause, the voice came back. "Please proceed to Docking Bay 13" it stated, before the communication officer closed the channel.

*Is that supposed to be lucky or unlucky?* Hinata thought superstitiously.

Naruto rolled his eyes and began to guide to Fool's Gold around the Shipyard. Docking Bay 13 was part of the dry-dock, meant for retrofitting old vessels and repairing damaged ones. This side of Olympus saw much less traffic. Hinata looked with sharp eyes as they passed ship after ship, all showing similar signs of scorched metal.

*What kind of weapons caused that?* Hinata asked.

*That's Plasma damage. Kumo Empire. The conflict must be going worse than we thought,* Naruto explained.

They passed the damaged ships and reached Docking Bay 13 proper. Hinata gasped when she got a good look at the Invictus.

The Assault Cruiser was docked in the center of the gigantic bay. Massive maintenance gantries were slowly backing away from the flanks of the vessel, as though wary of the lethal looking warship. The sleek lines and bristling gun ports clearly identified the ship as a ferocious predator, one that was not to be trifled with. The craft was painted a dark military grey, with soft blue lighting illuminating the name "Invictus" in 20 foot high lettering along the hull. In shape, it resembled a kite most. A sharp nose, backing away to two sharp sides, which came back to end with the engines. The bottom deck had half the weapon housings as the top deck, and the tower of the Command Module rose up near the back towards the engines.

*I always thought it looked like a big metal shark, myself,* Naruto confessed to Hinata.

The couple touched down in the Fool's Gold and made for the Cargo Bay. Gathering their bags again, they went out the rear-facing doors, only to look up and marvel at the 500 meter long vessel towering over them.

"You two look ridiculous," Sasuke said, coming up behind them. He was dressed in a suit like last time, only with his Konoha Federation uniform jacket conspicuously absent. He gestured at an anti-grav sled that was following obediently behind him. "Put those on this, I don't want to look silly when I board her next to you two."

"You've gotten crabby since you've been away. I know a vitamin smoothie you can take that would do wonders for your disposition," Hinata said archly as she dumped her purchases on the sled. "And why are you back in the sling?"

"I figured spontaneously recovering the use of my dead arm would raise a few too many questions. If we ever revisit Olympus, I'll claim I got private treatment as part of the perk package of the crew." Sasuke looked up at the Invictus. "Just us three, and she's not even mine this time. This is going to feel strange."

"Well, no time like the present," Naruto figured. Taking Hinata's hand in his right and Sasuke's in his left, Naruto led the Uzumaki Pack towards their new home.

* * *

**I want to assure my readers that this is purely fanfiction. I in no way profit for this, and I fully acknowledge using Tefler's John Blake Chronicles as inspiration. I hope that clears up any confusion.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Mostly filler in this chapter, but still hope you enjoy it.**

* * *

Naruto, Hinata, and Sasuke walked up the ramp into the Invictus's open Docking Bay. It was large enough to house a decently-sized dropship, and looked very empty with just them and a grav-sled. Naruto turned and saw that a crew was already going to work opening the Fool's Gold. He snapped a salute to the old girl. "Bye, you piece of crap. I'll miss you," he said under his breath. Then Naruto activated a panel on the wall. The Docking Bay doors began to close, an atmospheric force-field springing up.

"This ship is sized for 300 Marines and a Naval crew of 40. Now it's just us," Sasuke explained to Hinata. He handed over a Holo-reader. "The schematics of the ship and instruction manuals for every module are loaded onto this. Should be light reading for someone like you."

"You'll be someone like me very soon, Sasuke," Hinata told him. She was already flying through the various pages of text and images on the Holo-reader. "So, crew's quarters are the deck below the Command Deck?"

"That's right. And I actually have a treat for us on Deck 2, in regards to our quarters." Sasuke looked over to Naruto. "You coming?"

Naruto turned away from his last glimpse of his old Freighter. "Coming, I'm coming. Let's get moving before we pack. Up to the Bridge!"

The three walked into the central section of Deck 9 that spanned between the Docking Bay and the Cargo Bay. The elevator was there, opposite the airlock, and they stepped in after it arrived, the large interior fitting the grav-sled as well. There was a whirring, and when the doors opened again Hinata let out a gasp.

The Bridge of the Invictus was impressive. The all-white room was filled with command consoles, all arranged so they could be seen from the Command Chair in the back-center of the room, just in front of the elevator doors. A door was placed at each side of the room, marking the entrances to the rest of the Command Deck.

Hinata walked in, scrolling through the Holo-reader for all the relevant information. "Pilot… Tactical… Engineering… Comms… Intelligence, it's all here. And here's my seat!" Hinata bounced over towards the Command Chair and sat at the smaller seat down a step and to the right of it. She flicked a few switches and pressed a few buttons, and the ceiling came alight with a holographic display of the surrounding area, as if the walls had become transparent. At the moment, the view was of Docking Bay 13 at Olympus Shipyard.

Naruto and Sasuke both followed her out into the Bridge, both overcome by memories. Naruto wavered for a second, but then he took a seat in the Command Chair. He blinked. "This is comfy as my ergonomic chair on the Fool's Gold!"

"Just has thousands of ryo worth of electronics integrated into it. The K-Fed doesn't need every promising Commander developing back problems by the time they reach Admiral. Seat comfort is one of the hidden expenses of building a ship," Sasuke told them. "Now, I'm officially retired. Itachi gave me his seal of approval an hour ago. There's nothing holding us here. Let's go clear up this mess with Inuzuka Hana."

"Right. Hinata, you mind piloting us out of here? You've got a better idea of how to do it than I do," Naruto admitted.

"Sure thing, babe!" Hinata said. She worked the XO chair like a master guitarist tuning a new instrument. In no time, she'd opened a channel to Olympus Shipyard Flight Command. "Olympus Shipyard, please state your intention," droned one of the toneless if well-behaved communications officers.

"This is the Invictus in Docking Bay 13, requesting clearance to leave Olympus Shipyard," Hinata said with confidence.

After a moment, a glowing green path overlaid their visual display, marking the flight plan they'd been given. "Proceed along provided route and best wishes from all Olympus Shipyard to Uchiha Sasuke on his next venture in life," said the comm tech before closing the channel.

Sasuke growled. "He didn't bother to keep it a secret, apparently."

"Of all the things he could have done, arranging a group goodbye is the least of it. Consider yourself lucky," Naruto advised. "Now, let's see if the old gal runs like I remember."

Hinata activated engines and retro-thrusters. The whole ship shuddered as it was freed from the grasp of the artificial gravity of the Shipyard. With textbook smoothness, Hinata guided the Invictus along the path to the Nav Beacon. By the time they got there (in a fraction of the time it would have taken in the Fool's Gold), she'd finished plotting their course to Port Heracles, taking advantage of the much superior military-grade Tachyon Drive. "Just under 4 days to Port Heracles!" Hinata announced as the ship left the gravity well of the Alpha Centauri system and accelerated to hyperwarp.

Sasuke had been following Hinata map out the course on a smaller hologram of the galaxy and shook his head. "I'd call bullshit, but the computer confirms it. How did you shave so much time? It takes our shipments a full week at least to get here from Heracles."

"Not your shipments anymore, Sasuke. And apparently it's something called warp tunneling. You might understand it if you ask her in a few days," Naruto said. "Now, your Commander has a very important task for you," Naruto said imperiously.

Sasuke turned and gulped when he saw the look in his new boss's eyes.

"The Commander of the Invictus orders you to strip and attend to your duties as his Chief of Staff," Naruto said saucily, unbuttoning his pants to reveal his substantial size.

Sasuke gaped. "Here? On the Bridge? While you sit in the Command Chair?"

"Welcome, this is your life now," Hinata purred.

"This isn't a Navy ship anymore. It's MY ship. And my rules go. Now follow your order or I'll discipline you for disobeying," Naruto growled deep in his throat, his prick twitching angrily as it waited for stimulation from someone, anyone.

Sasuke had a moment where he almost burst out laughing, but he resisted. Well, he'd known what he was signing up for. *I'm only going through with this because I expect to have this exact scene recreated with our roles reversed someday soon,* Sasuke sent Naruto mentally. Then, maneuvering his left arm out of the sling, he began to take off his suit.

*Of course, just play along for now and I'll do whatever you want later,* Naruto promised, his sincerity ringing in his mental voice.

Once Sasuke was naked, he strode confidently up to Naruto. A part of him felt like the ghosts of every naval crew member that had ever served the Invictus was judging him, but he didn't care. Right here and now, it was just Sasuke with Hinata and Naruto, the two people he trusted most in the universe. And they were Uzu, primal sexual beings. This was just them having fun, nothing wrong with that.

Sasuke knelt down on the cold metal floor before the Command Chair, looking dutifully up at his Commander, his Alpha, his Naruto. Keeping eye-contact all the while, Sasuke leaned forward to take the head of Naruto's obscene erection in his mouth. A rush of sweetness coated his tongue as he tasted Naruto's pre. Deciding to drag it out, Sasuke took a deep breath and then proceeded to 'eat' Naruto's length, his lips moving down it a quarter-inch at a time, slowly but inexorably ending with Sasuke's hair tickling Naruto's quad and abs.

"Fuck, that feels good," Naruto groaned. "Can you feel it too?"

Sasuke blinked. *What do you mean?* He asked, his mouth occupied.

Naruto blinked before smacking himself in the head. *Knew I forgot something,* he muttered mentally, before Sasuke was suddenly hit with the sensation of a wet throat wrapped around his own erection.

"You were holding back the psychic feedback? Shame on you, Naruto! That's what makes Uzu sex so awesome!" Hinata scolded her man.

"I didn't want to overwhelm him on his first day with us and then he left and it just slipped my mind!" Naruto defended himself.

Sasuke withdrew his head from Naruto's lap, feeling as if the phantom head around his own cock was mirroring his movements on Naruto's. Sasuke caught his breath and looked up. "You mean you FEEL what the other feels when you have sex? I'm going to be blowing myself every time I blow Naruto?" Sasuke demanded.

"Pretty much," Naruto said. "Does that bother you?" He asked worriedly.

Sasuke snorted. "Makes it all more fun. You really underselled the mind-blowing sex part of being with your crew to me."

"Keep in mind, you were straight at the time. We were hoping to hook you with powers and eternal youth first and then have you discover that benefit all on your own," Hinata said from the XO Chair, watching the show in front of her.

Sasuke grinned. "Well, now I have all the more motivation to improve my technique, don't I? Heaven forbid the Chief of Staff be poor at blowjobs!" With that, Sasuke went down on Naruto's length a second time, this time much faster.

Naruto groaned and laid his hands on Sasuke's head. *I'll control the pace, you just focus on using that tight throat and slippery tongue of yours to get us both off,* Naruto told him. And then he began to move Sasuke's head up and down his cock, making sure he got plenty of time for air between deepthroats. Sasuke moaned at the rush of being used by a man he… cared for, as well as the delicious feeling of his own handiwork on his own cock. He swallowed around the blockage in his throat and both he and Naruto let out identical moans. Naruto eventually sped up, until he was genuinely fucking Sasuke's throat, the inky-haired man's skull clutched like a sex toy in his hands. Finally, shortly after Sasuke found himself spilling on the floor, Naruto let loose his prodigious load, shooting for over a minute down Sasuke's throat until his abdomen made him almost half as wide as he was tall.

Hinata sighed with pleasure, seeing her two boys mutually satisfy each other. "That was beautiful to watch… now when's my turn?"

Naruto chuckled and stood up, shucking his clothes until he stood gloriously naked. He lifted Sasuke by the hand and pressed a kiss to the man's lips. "You, honey, are going to help me stamp my authority on the Commander's Ready Room the way Sasuke helped me here with the Bridge. Follow me."

He led them both to the door on the left side of the room. The door opened to reveal a spacious office complete with desk, chairs, coffee table, and a small bathroom in the corner. The real prize was the wide window, which at the moment showed the streaks of stars as they moved over five times the speed of light.

Naruto paused before sitting behind the desk. He stroked the glass-and-metal contraption. "I sit now where you sat. Who would have thought it?" Naruto asked Sasuke rhetorically.

Sasuke sat down in one of the chairs, stroking his cum-filled belly. "You were always Commander material, Naruto. If you hadn't retired, I'd have recommended you take my place when I left the Invictus."

"But luckily he did retire, and went on a long, wandering path that led him to me and the start of something incredible," Hinata said warmly, a bright smile on her face.

"How did you two meet, actually?" Sasuke asked, realizing he knew almost nothing real about Hinata's past. He'd tried looking up her file, and almost been struck dumb at the transformation she'd undergone since having her photo taken. Other than finding out she was a Navigator First Class from an asteroid colony named Karron, he hadn't learned much.

"I stowed away on the Fool's Gold," Hinata admitted without shame. "When he found me, he threatened to take me back but I convinced him otherwise. Since we were going to spend a lot of time together after that, he made me the offer to keep him from going insane. I said yes, we unlocked his powers, and the galaxy would never be the same."

"She was already a randy spitfire of a gal, I don't think I changed too much about her, just enhanced all the parts that were already wonderful," Naruto said, looking at her dreamily.

"He's too kind. I was a timid, shy, frightened little thing. And I've grown into the kind of woman I never even dared to hope I could be." Hinata began to strip. "Now, how does the Commander want to stretch his dutiful XO today?"

Naruto's grin turned predatory. "I thought we'd give Sasuke a visual lesson on why anal sex with an Uzu is to be celebrated, not feared."

Hinata shivered as she shucked her underwear. "Yummy, I love when you take me back there. Where do you want me?"

"In my lap, as I sit in this chair, the Commander's chair, facing Sasuke," Naruto growled, his slumbering behemoth awakening again.

"Already?" Sasuke asked incredulously.

"Psychic Healing, the bane of the refractory period. I feel like a teenager again," Naruto said. "Now, I want you to take part in this lesson. I want you to prep Hinata's tight little ass for me so she can slide down my cock with zero resistance."

Sasuke blinked, before he found himself face-to-face with the loveliest ass he'd ever seen on a woman. "Would it help if I bent over?" Hinata asked, looking over her shoulder down at Sasuke.

"This is fine, dear," Sasuke managed to say, feeling quite surreal. While he'd accepted he was Naruto's now in body and spirit, it still hadn't processed that he had full access to Naruto's women to use as his own. He had as much right to finger Hinata as Naruto did, in their minds. And Sasuke found himself eager to get with the program.

Reaching out, Sasuke cupped Hinata's perineum, feeling her fluids leak out over his palm. He gathered himself and then pushed two fingers into her snatch. The feel was heavenly, silk and honey warmed by the sun. Hinata's body gently massaged his probing digits until Sasuke deemed them wet enough. He withdrew his fingers, and pulled them back to circle Hinata's rosebud, which was almost hidden behind her ass cheeks like loaves of rising bread. Hesitantly, not wanted to hurt her but reassured repeatedly that she was very stretchy, Sasuke pushed his fingers in.

It was very different from her pussy. Hotter and drier, and the walls felt different. As Sasuke poked and proved and scissored his fingers, he wondered if he were doing a good job.

"He's great with his fingers, Naruto. Sasuke, do you play some kind of instrument?" Hinata asked, taking the rectal intrusion with ease.

"I learned piano, flute, and the biwa growing up," Sasuke told her, twisting her fingers to try and really open her up.

"Really? Well, we'll have to pick those up next time we're on Gravitus. I'd love to hear you play!"

"So would I," Naruto said, waiting patiently in his seat. He seemed to be getting some sort of thrill at seeing Sasuke and Hinata together.

*I thought you said that all Uzu are jealous bastards. You seem to be the very definition of compersion right now,* Sasuke sent through their link.

*I'm overcorrecting, I guess you could say. Plus there's a little part of me that views you both as my property so it's not really cheating in my mind.* Naruto shrugged. "I think that's good enough. Now babe, let's show Sasuke how pleasurable it is to get fucked in the ass by Uzumaki Naruto."

Hinata waited for Sasuke to remove his fingers before practically skipping over to Naruto. Turning to face Sasuke, she seemed to follow some mental commands from Naruto as she balanced her feet of his thighs. Then, with his monstrous dick pressed up against her loosened ass, Hinata sank down until the globes of her ass touched Naruto's quad.

"Fuck!" Hinata cried out, a look of rapture on her face.

"That's right, honey, take me in like a good girl. Now, I want you to ride me. And try to put on a good show for Sasuke, won't you?" Naruto purred in her ear before licking it.

"Yes, Commander," Hinata said, before rising herself up almost off Naruto's boner before slamming herself back down on it. She soon built up to a rapid pace, every muscle in her athletic body gleaming with sweat. And all the while, she had a blissed out of her mind expression on her face. Sasuke watched the whole thing, saw Naruto guide her with the help of his hands, saw her take THAT in THERE and obviously love it, and began to lose his own fear over doing the act.

Hinata came once in the middle, her fluids leaking out to the floor but not really squirting. She came again when Naruto began to meet her thrusts just before he roared his own release. They sank back into the Commander's chair, both looking thoroughly fucked and loving it. Hinata twisted in his lap to plant a kiss on Naruto's lips, and they shared a long, lingering look that for all Sasuke knew could have held an entire conversation. He still wasn't used to the whole concept of telepathy, even after five days of experience with Naruto.

Hinata stood up, as gravid as Sasuke now. Sasuke just now appreciated how beautiful she looked with a rounded tummy, as if his or Naruto's baby was growing inside her. An intense longing filled Sasuke at the thought of either. He would love either as his own, he realized. Either way, they would be a cub of the Pack.

"Now we've both had lunch, let's get our things packed away in our quarters so we can get the big, bad wolf his own meal," Hinata said cheerfully.

"You too? How…" Sasuke asked.

"Naruto does this freaky thing with Telekinesis to move his cum from my colon to my stomach. He claims he just doesn't want to waste food."

"I was raised in a restaurant, some things are just absorbed through the skin," Naruto protested. "Though I will get onboard with moving in. I'm getting hungry."

"Then it's time for my surprise." Sasuke led the two of them out of the Ready Room and back to the elevator, where the grav-sled was still waiting. They took a brief trip down one level to Deck two, stepping out into a long, narrow corridor.

"The door to our left is to the Officer's Lounge, complete with Kitchen. We'll go there right after I show you our treat." Sasuke walked then down the corridor, his pale skin glowing under the LED lights. He stopped at a set of double doors at the end of the hallway.

Naruto blinked. "Is it just me, or are the XO's quarters missing?"

"Given the new XO and Commander were sleeping together, I figured it be best to combine the spaces into something… special." With that, Sasuke opened the doors.

Hinata blinked. "Oh, wow! It's exactly like our bedroom at the Magnus!" Hinata stepped into the plush carpeted interior, eyeing the four-poster double-King-sized bed with approval. She darted over to the two doors in the side of the room. One led to a walk-in closet complete with weapons locker, and the other led to a luxurious bathroom with an open shower and large whirlpool bathtub.

Naruto gaped at the amount of luxury he was seeing on a Naval vessel, even if it were privately owned now. "You did this?"

"I wanted the three of us to have a nice place to return to at the end of the day. I got the largest bed I could find on short notice because I don't know how many people we'll end up stuffing in it every night. The Thralls can each have their own bedroom to keep their things and for privacy, but I have a feeling we'll all end up sleeping in here together," Sasuke explained

"It's perfect!" Hinata rushed over, her tummy hitting Sasuke's like a bumper car, and leaned in to smooch him. "This is so generous, was it really covered by the buying cost?"

"Given the scale of all the other modifications we made to the ship, this bedroom alone is nothing. Every ryo of that 150 million was spent, and it was spent well," Sasuke said.

Naruto wrapped his arms around both of them. "I'm very grateful to you Sasuke. This is a wonderful gift. Now let's pack our stuff away and get me a sandwich!"

They all dissolved into laughter, before bringing in the sled that held not only the bags from their shopping on Gravitus, but every piece of gear Naruto had wanted to save from the Fool's Gold. They sorted away the clothes, Hinata's taking one side, Naruto's taking half the other and the other half taken by tactical gear. The weapons lockers were soon filled and then Hinata and Naruto were officially moved in. Sasuke had come with nothing but the clothes he had shed up on the Bridge.

"I'm really going to grow out of all my old clothes?" Sasuke asked, thinking longingly of his wardrobe of fine suits back on Olympus Shipyard.

"6'1, and lean as a jungle cat. Trust me, you wouldn't have fit into anything after a week," Naruto assured him.

Sasuke sighed "Very well. I suppose I can keep the suit I wore today as a memento."

They got Naruto his promised lunch, which led to Hinata gushing over the Officer's Lounge. The room was dominated by a long bar, around which the Naval crew had chatted and shared drinks. A substantial dining table occupied a corner of the room, big enough to seat 12 easily. Like the Ready Room, the Lounge had a window, revealing the majesty of the Galaxy blurring by as they rode a wave of faster-than-light particles. Soft chairs and tables occupied the rest of the room.

"Not bad, but this will either be remodeled in the future or replaced by the Dining Room in the Uzu vessel we build," Naruto said, munching on his sandwich he'd made in the Kitchen tucked around the corner of the room. "But it works for now."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "You keep claiming how much better Uzu tech is than Konoha's. Until I have a copy of them in my own head, I'm not going to believe it."

"Well, you've had five meals from me now. Another sixteen, give or take, and you will." Naruto paused to chew. "I could speed it up if you want, use energy from myself and Hinata to accelerate your own progress. But you'll spend an awful lot of time asleep as your body adjusts to all the changes so fast. And it'll wear us out a little to feed you energy."

Sasuke blinked, before he got a determined expression. "If you two are okay with that, then please accelerate my change. I strongly suspect we'll walk away from Port Heracles with Hana as a recruit, and I don't want my… feeding schedule to interfere with hers."

Naruto traded a look with Hinata. *You okay with this, babe?*

*He has a point. I say we do it. Besides, we could use the psychic exercise.* She reached out to swipe a crumb off his lip.

"Okay, Sasuke, by the time we get to Port Heracles, you'll be an Uzu."

* * *

The next three days passed in a long string of naps for the Uchiha. At breakfast, lunch, dinner, and bedtime, he awoke from his slumber to find Naruto naked and waiting for his mouth. Sasuke would practice his fellator skills, and be rewarded with a rounded belly full of Uzu semen. Then, hit by a wave of exhaustion, Sasuke would fall right back into bed to sleep until the next mealtime.

Naruto and Hinata had a slightly more varied schedule. The drain from speeding up Sasuke's transformation didn't seem that hard at first, but it was a constant leak of energy that eventually led to them being utterly spent by the end of day. They both focused on activities that would converse energy. Hinata busied herself with memorizing the function of every part and program on the Invictus, her eyes glued to the Holo-reader Sasuke had provided for her. Naruto toured the ship, refamiliarizing himself with her secrets. The Gym on Deck 7 had been heavily modified; Sasuke must have figured that without hundreds of fitness crazed Marines to cater to, some changes could be made. There was only one copy of each standard strength machine, a few treadmills, one area for lifting weights, and the rest of the Gym was now occupied by a pool and shaded hot tub. Naruto spent a lot of hours just playing in the water when he wasn't feeding Sasuke. He'd never had his own pool before, and he loved the novelty of having all the water to himself.

On the fourth morning, the day they were due to arrive at Port Heracles, Sasuke was awoken by Hinata kissing his ears. He blinked gummy eyes open, to see her pull back and grin. She was easily the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen in real-life. He couldn't wait to get to know her on a more intimate level, both personally and physically.

"You're one of us, now," Hinata whispered.

"Hmm, how do you mean?" Sasuke asked, rubbing his red eyes.

"Feel your ears and tell me," she countered.

Pausing, Sasuke reached up to the side of his head and was shocked when he didn't feel the shape he expected. He had sharp elf ears rather than rounded human ones. But that could only mean…

"No offense, Sasuke, but that's the only time we're accelerating a change unless it's an emergency. That sucked, losing energy all day. It probably helped stretch our reserves, but still," Naruto said, rubbing the shorter man's side from where he was spooning him. "Now, it's time for you to see your new body!"

Naruto and Hinata quickly got out of bed, with Sasuke hesitantly following suit. They both took him by the hand and led him into the closet, which had a mirror set up on one wall.

"Now, be prepared for a bit of a shock. I didn't noticed all the changes until they were shoved in my face," Hinata warned.

"But this IS how you'll look forever and a day, so I suggest getting used to it fast," Naruto said with a grin.

Closing his eyes, Sasuke braces himself for anything. Then, stepping in front of the mirror, he opened his eyes. And gasped.

The man looking back at him had the androgynous beauty of the most high-end glamorous models. His ink-blue hair fell last his shoulders like a gorgeous mane on a lion. He seemed to be at that age where the maturity of experience starts to overcome the energy of youth, but still clearly under 40. His muscles stood out like an anatomy chart, with just enough fat to appear beautiful rather than obscene. His cock was respectably sized soft, and had a foreskin. The two balls that dangled underneath were perfectly symmetrical and the size of softballs. He was completely hairless below his eyebrows, which flared out over familiar red Uchiha eyes.

"That's me?" Sasuke asked in wonder. Naruto and Hinata joined him in the frame and he suddenly realized his new height, just an inch off of Naruto's.

"Ahead of schedule, but yes. You're the first Beta Uzu in existence. For comparison, see the Alpha Uzu and female Uzu to your sides," Naruto said with a goofy smile. "Damn, I thought you were fuckable before but NOW… hmm."

"I know, right?" Hinata asked. "I can't wait to get double-teamed by you two studs!"

Sasuke blushed as Hinata and Naruto continued to shower him with compliments. The positive attention and sexual comments had the expected effect, and Sasuke was treated to the sight and feel of his new erection.

"Crap, I'm huge!" Sasuke used both hands to grasp his awakened sex organ and still had some left over. "And I'm uncircumcised."

"Oh, yeah, forgot to mention, that's part of old damage that just gets healed. You weren't cut for religious reasons or anything, right?" Naruto asked worriedly.

"No, no, just standard procedure at the hospital I was born. I always wondered what it'd be like to be uncut, but I wasn't going to shell out for the regenerative surgery to get it back." Sasuke hefted his new and improved piece of equipment. "I could do some serious damage with this thing."

"Luckily not on Uzu girls. We're used to taking guys the size of Naruto, what you're packing won't be an issue," Hinata spoke up. "On Naruto, though, I'd recommend being careful. But ten-inchers have sex in real-life, not just porn, too you know."

Sasuke waved his one-eyed monster in Naruto's direction. "You'd let me stick this inside you?" Sasuke asked incredulously. "You intentionally made me this big with that in mind?"

"I was thinking more on double-teaming our girls, but yes. I like sucking on big cocks. And on rare occasion, I even let them up my butt. So yeah, someday when I'm feeling lazy or needy or vulnerable, I'll ask my boyfriend to top me for once. Is that an unreasonable request?" Naruto asked with a pout.

Sasuke chuckled and hugged the bigger man. Sasuke noted that whereas he was muscled like a mountain climber, Naruto was built like a lumberjack. It was two different kinds of strength, comparing the lion to the bear. Either one could kill you, they'd just do it with different styles. "It almost feels wrong to think about dominating the Alpha, but I'm game if you are, Naruto."

Hinata promptly added herself to the hug. "And I'll be there to watch, jilling my brains out the whole time! Now, what are we going to do with the rest of the morning? And no, Naruto can't fill either of us up, we won't go down by the time we arrive."

Naruto and Sasuke shrugged. "We haven't tried out the bathtub yet. A long soak sounds amazing after the last few days we had," Naruto suggested.

And so they did, Hinata discovering that being submerged in water was a very pleasurable experience. She'd avoided joining Naruto in the pool because of her somewhat irrational fear of drowning. After learning the delight of a long, hot bubble bath, Hinata was suddenly more amenable to the idea of swimming lessons with Naruto.

They got dressed, going for a look of successful business as befitted rich traders. Naruto put on his charcoal suit, Sasuke managed to fit reasonably well in a black one, and Hinata found a tailored jacket and pencil skirt combo in an identical color to Naruto. They all had conventional food, Sasuke for the first time that week, for breakfast.

Then they went to the Bridge and went to their respective stations, Naruto and Hinata going to their Chairs and Sasuke to the Chief-of-Staff console to Naruto's immediate left. It was mostly a review console, keeping a list of reading from the rest of the Invictus so the Chief of Staff could micro-manage.

As if on cue, they exited hyperwarp when they all got settled in their seats. Port Heracles dominated the System Map in hologram above them.

"Time to save Hana," Naruto said.

* * *

**The first proper Thrall added to the mix next chapter, and her integration into the crew and Invictus. Please fave, follow, and review.**


	10. Chapter 10

**I was sick for a few days. I apologize for any delay.**

* * *

They flew towards Port Heracles. The intercom light began to ping when they reached hailing distance.

"Incoming Cruiser, please identify yourself and your purpose at Heracles," requested a military comms officer that sounded identical to the ones from Olympus.

"This is the Invictus, requesting a 24-hour berth for a visit to a medical patient," Hinata responded, coached by Naruto as to the proper protocol to use mentally.

"Confirm, Invictus, we have you registered as a civilian vessel?" The comms officer sounded quite puzzled.

"Affirmative. This Cruiser is privately owned by Uzumaki Naruto, former Special Ops Commander," Hinata answered.

"Understood. Invictus, you are officially cleared to dock in Docking Bay 4. Have a pleasant visit at Heracles." With that, the communication cut out.

"Is it really that odd for civilians to own military vessels? I thought Sasuke said the Invictus was going up for auction?" Hinata asked.

"True, but they usually go to private corporations for use in personal fleets. A solo owner like me is rare, though not unheard of," Naruto explained.

"If we'd shown up in a Dreadnought, we'd have caused heart attacks. Those almost never get decommissioned, and when they do they go for billions. As it is, we're in a humble Assault Cruiser," Sasuke added.

They glided through Port traffic to the marked Docking Bay, guided by Hinata's skillful hand on the joystick. They slid in until magnetic clamps came down and they were held securely in place.

"Textbook. I would never believe that was only your second time flying this ship," Sasuke praised.

Hinata grinned. "While Naruto is focused on Hana for the next week, you and I are going to do a LOT of bonding, Uchiha."

Naruto shook his head. "We're not sure she's going to say yes. Though I'm fully onboard with you two spending some quality time together."

"Let's just go find Hana and see what all the fuss is about so you can fix it like the hero you are and we can nab her when she's grateful and vulnerable." Hinata deftly dodged Naruto's tickling fingers. "Come along, boys."

Naruto and Sasuke traded a glance that said it all before following their shared woman to the elevator.

They went through the airlock on Deck 9, into the docking gantry built into the clamps holding the Invictus. They walked down the short passageway to another elevator, one which opened up into Port Heracles' main deck. As the most sizeable Konoha Federation outpost in this sector, it had a significant trading emporium and retail complex. Which meant trade, and the aliens who fueled that trade.

Hinata stayed by Naruto and Sasuke's sides, but her head was practically on a swivel as she tried to see every species that caught her eye.

*Is that an Iwa?*

*Yep. Good eye.*

*What's that little mushroom-shaped thing?*

*That's a Numa. Don't stare, they can be prickly.*

*And those little beetle-like fellows?*

*The Kawa, I believe, I'm not so good with insectoid species.*

A large green blob of goo seemed to jump when they came near it. Then, to the three's surprise, they felt knocks on their mental shields.

*Was that the Umi?* Sasuke asked Naruto.

*One way to find out,* Naruto replied. *Yes?* He projected at the gelatinous lifeform.

*Greetings, Radiant Ones. May this one be of service to you today?* came a soft, melodic voice, like an entire chorus singing in unison.

*Why do you call us that?* Hinata asked.

*Because you shine brighter with power than any lifeform this one has ever before encountered,* the sphere of verdant gel replied.

Sasuke shared a glance with his companions. *It doesn't know we're Uzu, just knows we're very powerful psychics. I think it's just being polite,* he told Naruto.

Naruto cleared his throat. *We have no need for your services today, but we thank you for the offer. Have a good day.*

*You as well, Radiant Ones,* the Umi replied, before sliding away, trailed by two robotic porters.

*What was that?* Hinata asked.

*I think we got our first genuflection,* Naruto thought dazedly.

*No, WHAT was that?*

*Oh, an Umi. Sentient mass of intelligent bacteria. They're friendly but they can only communicate through their robots. I didn't realize they were psychic.*

*Well, that one seemed really nice. Now, is it just me, or are there no Kumo to be seen?*

*Nope. They're persona non grata at the moment, obviously.*

The three returned to their journey to the extensive medical facilities built into the Port. With a respectful nod to the soldiers stationed at the entrance, they entered the main reception area. The total use of white was a bit hard on the eyes. They walked up the receptionist.

"Hello, how can I help you?" asked the middle-aged woman, regarding the well-dressed visitors.

"We're here to see Inuzuka Hana," Naruto said confidently. They'd checked on vid-feed yesterday and she'd still yet to be hauled away, proving it was all empty threats as far as Naruto was concerned.

"Certainly, sir, one moment," she said, scanning the list of patients. "Ah, yes. If I could just see your identification, please?" Naruto, Hinata, and Sasuke each handed over their ID, though only Naruto did it without fear. The other two were noticably different from the photos on their IDs. The receptionist didn't seem to notice. "Take the elevator to Floor 3, Hana is in room 347. I'll inform her that you're coming."

They nodded and followed the signs to the nearest elevator. After a brief trip, they went searching for the right room number and soon found themselves outside it. Naruto knocked, and heard "Come in!"

They opened the door to find Hana standing up from her medical bed, a screen with the receptionist's face closing on its side. Hinata was the first to walk forward, embracing the smaller woman with delight that was clearly mutual. "It's so good to see you!" Hana gushed, clutching Hinata tight.

Hinata pulled back to look Hana over. "You're looking better," she said sincerely.

Hana reached up to touch her still-swollen nose from the straightened break. Her black eyes had gone down but the bags under them had gotten even worse. She was still a beautiful girl, but one clearly under a lot of stress.

Naruto came forward to give the young Lieutenant his own hug. It might have been his imagination, but Hana might have squeezed herself to him extra hard. When he pulled back, Naruto waved a hand at Sasuke. "This is Sasuke, our new crew member. You haven't met him."

"Nice to meet you," Hana said, her eyes taking in his face and his obvious beauty.

"You as well, young miss Inuzuka," Sasuke greeted.

"Is he part of your species too? I can't help but notice you all have different ears from Konoha," Hana asked hesitantly.

Hinata grinned enigmatically. "It's not so much that people with sharp ears get recruited as people who get recruited get sharp ears."

"I don't understand," Hana said, looking at her uncomprehendingly.

Naruto coughed. "We can discuss the details of my crew later. For now, what seems to be the trouble with you?"

Hana visibly fell into a depression. "I'm being charged with 'dereliction of duty' and there's going to be a court martial! I'm fucked!"

Naruto took Hana's hand. "Hana, we checked the judicial proceedings for the Port. There's absolutely nothing with your name on file. Whoever is telling you this is lying to you."

Hana blinked. "But… he said I had to answer for my shocking lack of judgment. That I was to blame for the Corvette Griffon being boarded by the pirates. I was asleep though! As the junior tactical officer, I had handed over the next shift!"

"Who's 'he'?" Sasuke asked, smelling a rat. And though he was no longer affiliated with the Konoha Federation, it was always a pain to see bad people in positions of power.

Hana shuddered with revulsion. "Commander Gato. He's in charge of Port Heracles and has jurisdiction over this sector. He was my commanding officer for a while, before I requested a transfer."

Hinata saw how Hana withdrew into herself and didn't need telepathy to find out the reason for the transfer. "Why did you leave?" She asked for clarification.

Hana looked down, feeling ashamed, classic victim behavior. "He… he kept coming on to me. I always told him no but he wouldn't listen. Threatened to end my career if I wouldn't go out with him. When Commander Jericho came in on the Griffon, I immediately applied for a transfer and got in."

"And he didn't like that," Hinata said knowingly, having seen this act a thousand times back on Karron, with much messier results.

Hana shook her head. "No, he didn't. He called me all sorts of names when I told him about the transfer. The things he said…" she blushed in remembered embarrassment.

Naruto sighed. "I think I see what's going on here. Gato is lying to you about this court martial to get you panicked. Then, when he offers to sweep it under the rug in exchange for a few 'favors', you're so desperate that you agree. It's a sick game, especially for someone in your condition."

Hana blinked as if that thought had never occurred to her. "But… that's illegal! I can think of half a dozen protocols that violates!"

"Power has the bad habit of going to one's head," Sasuke said wisely.

"I think it's time Commander Gato and I had a little talk," Naruto said darkly. *Keep her company, make the offer. I'm off to deal with her abuser.*

*Don't kill him, at least,* Sasuke projected.

*She'll be ours by the time you get back!* Hinata stated with confidence.

Naruto left them, the door seeming to swoosh shut behind him extra hard. Hana watched him go worriedly. "Is he really going to confront Commander Gato? He's the Station Commander! He has the most authority out of anyone here!"

"I wouldn't be so sure. Relax, and trust Naruto to make all your problems go away. Now, Hana, tell me, have you ever heard of the Uzu?" Hinata asked with an acquisitive gleam in her eyes.

* * *

Naruto stalked through the halls of Port Heracles like an avenging god, his anger simmering below the surface but never growing out of control. People seemed to naturally get out of his path and know to avoid him. It wasn't a use of psychic powers, just a pure reaction to the aura the pissed Uzu was radiating.

He made it from the Medical Facility to the main military sector of the Port. Naruto swiped his ID at the entrance to the secure portion of the starport and was buzzed in. The guards on duty all gave him snappy salutes when they realized he had clearance to be there. Naruto nodded in acknowledgement, then swept forward. He followed the well-marked signs until he finally arrive at the Station Commander's office.

Naruto entered without knocking, finding himself in a small reception area. A pinch faced man sat behind the desk in Naval uniform. He took one look at Naruto's civilian clothes and deemed him a waste of his time. "Can I help you?" he asked irritably.

"Special Ops Commander Uzumaki Naruto to see Station Commander Gato. As soon as possible," Naruto bit out.

The aggrieved receptionist paled and was suddenly much more simpering. He hit a button on his desk. "Uzumaki Naruto from Inuzuka Hana's rescue is here to see you, sir," the man said obsequiously.

"Send him in," came the nasal reply.

"Whenever you're ready, Commander," the receptionist said in his oily voice. Naruto strode to the doors of Gato's office and slammed them open. Naruto's eyes swept the room of a man clearly obsessed with his own name. He counted no less than a dozen certificates or degrees, even one for finishing a 42-ounce steak. His eyes landed on a diminutive man in his early fifties with a receding hairline and an ugly look in his eyes.

"Ahh, the irrepressible Mr Uzumaki. I read about your exploits in Lieutenant Izukuka's report, but I'm surprised to find you aren't eight foot tall and breathing fire. What can I do for you?" Commander Gato sneered.

"Shut the fuck up and scan this," Naruto demanded in a tone that brooked no argument, as he tossed his military ID on to the Station Commander's desk. Gato would never know how close Naruto was to actually breathing fire.

Gato eyed the ID like it were defiling his desk, but he seemed willing to humor Naruto. The much shorter man ran the ID through his desk's scanner. In a flash, Naruto's current clearances and military history had appeared on the desk. Gato paled when he noted one crucial detail. "Special Ops Commander? But… but that means…"

"That's right you arrogant piece of shit, I outrank you. I'm the big man in this office, not you," Naruto threw in, knowing it would rankle given their height difference. "And I do not appreciate this little scam you're running on Inuzuka Hana."

Gato gulped. "Now, see here, Naruto, I'm sure you can-"

"Don't presume to think you know anything about me. You hounded her when she was working for you. When she found a way out, you screamed at her. When she survived the worst event of her life, you swoop in like a vulture hoping to prey on her fear and vulnerability to get what you want, you disgusting piece of filth. You have made a mockery of your station. By rights, I should have you stripped of your position."

Gato seemed in the midst of an anxiety attack. "You… you can't do this to me! I'm the Commander of Port Heracles!"

"For now," Naruto said darkly. "And not for much longer unless you do exactly as I say."

"Name it," Gato said, desperate, just like he'd wanted Hana.

*She agree or disagree either way yet?* Naruto sent to his Matriarch and Patriarch.

*We just covered behavioral changes… and now she's nodding.* Sasuke sounded a bit perplexed.

*Success! We have a Tactical Officer! I have another bitch to play with!* Hinata cheered.

Course of action decided, Naruto named his terms. "You're going to transfer Inuzuka Hana to duty on my ship, the Invictus. It's 'officially' a civilian vessel, so you're essentially putting her on an indefinite leave of absence. Do that right now and MAYBE I don't report your despicable behavior to High Command."

Gato's chubby fingers flew over her console. A few minutes later, he stopped typing and signing. "It's done."

"Prey we never have a need to meet again, Gato," Naruto said with the chill of death in his words, before turning on his heel and leaving.

Naruto made his way through the labyrinthine hallways of the starport until he was back at the docking gantry leading to the Invictus. There, he found all three members of his crew waiting for him, one looking very nervous yet excited with a small duffle bag at her feet.

"Second Lieutenant Inuzuka Hana reporting for duty, Sir!" she saluted crisply, standing rigidly at attention despite the pain it must have caused her.

Naruto surprised her with a hug. "None of that, here. We're disciplined when we have to be, but we treat each other like family on this ship. Did Hinata and Sasuke explain everything before you said yes?"

"Maybe we shouldn't discuss this in an empty hallway?" Sasuke suggested.

"Why not, we already did it in a hospital room and that was much more likely to be bugged," Hinata said glibly. "But if you must know, I projected a silencing field while we were making the pitch to Hana, same as I'm doing right now. Outside this little bubble, no sound travels."

"I need to reward you for your diligent practicing at some point," Naruto said with a grin. "Now, Hana? Informed consent on your end?"

Hana blushed. "I think so. You're an Uzu, which are basically male alien sex vampires. You want to subvert your powers to make a crew, a team, a family of equals with yourself. If I join, I'll change on a number of levels, and possibly live forever. I may have to choose between you and my real family someday, if relations with the Konoha Federation fall through. But if I stay with you, I get access to your money, your tech, and your… bed. Along with an enhanced body, intellect, personality, and the addition of psychic powers." Hana blushed cutely along her clan marks. "I said hell yes."

Naruto smiled. "Well, then welcome to the Uzumaki Pack!"

"Provisionally. Your real welcome should come tomorrow," Hinata added saucily.

"Can we please move this inside the Invictus? For my peace of mind if nothing else?" Sasuke pleaded.

Hinata rolled her eyes and placed her hand on the DNA reader for the airlock. The portal opened once her genomic data was verified. The four of them walked in, Naruto reaching down to pick up Hana's duffel bag. They walked the short distance from the airlock to the elevator, waiting for the doors to open. Then they made it for Deck 2.

"We all sleep in the Commander's Quarters most nights, but you get your own room for when you want privacy. You can decorate it however you want, but please keep it clean." Hinata instructed like she were a flight attendant, gesturing at the first room next to the main bedroom at the end of the hall.

Hana stuck her head in and gaped. "All this is mine? This is three times the size of my berth on the Griffon! And my own bathroom!" She noted with joy.

Sasuke chuckled, his heart warming at seeing the new recruit so overawed. "If you like that, you should see what we're sharing in the Commander's Quarters."

Leaving her duffel bag on the bed, Hana followed them into the trio's room, and gaped at how luxurious it was. When she saw the size of the bed, she couldn't help but blush.

Hinata snuck up behind her to hug her and whisper in her ear. "We had to rush Sasuke's conversion to make time for you. So that bed hasn't seen all that much action yet. Would you like to help us change that?"

"Hinata," Naruto chastened.

"What? She agreed to join the crew! She understands that this ship is just a giant pleasure barge, with three Uzu on it, soon to be four."

Hana blushed crimson from within Hinata's grasp. "Um, is it true that your… cum can heal me faster?"

Naruto smiled at her gently. "Yes, that's true. It's strange, but it's true. I would have offered when we first found you, but you weren't in any position to hear our proposal back then. And I honestly never saw you agreeing to abandon the whole galaxy just to join us."

Hana blushed and looked down. "You'd just saved me from certain death. I would have agreed to a whole lot."

"Well, we'll never know. What's important, is you're here now," Naruto said with a warm smile.

"Yeah, we'll take care of you," Hinata crooned, still wrapped around the smaller if older girl.

"Will you let her go?" Sasuke asked with a raised brow.

"Come on! She's our first proper Thrall to play with!" Hinata protested playfully. "But okay," she said, finally letting go of Hana. "So, it's lunchtime! Sasuke and I will go fix something in the Lounge, while you two get comfortable getting comfortable!" With that, Hinata grabbed Sasuke's hand and led him out the room.

Naruto rubbed the back of his head. "I'm sorry about Hinata. She's wanted you to join since she met you and she's flying high at the moment."

"Oh, no, she's fine, just lovely really." Hana reached up to twirl a lock of her brown hair nervously. "So… how do we do this? Is there a particular way you like to… feed your crew members?"

Naruto walked forward and cupped Hana's face. "First off, it's much more than just feeding them a meal. It's oral sex, and that can be as casual as getting an oil change or even more intimate than conceiving a child, depending on how you do it. We can do it however works for us, however we feel in the moment. And we don't have to do it at all if you're not ready. You can settle in for a few days before committing to this all the way. I want you to enjoy your time with us, Hana."

Hana blushed, highlighting her clan marks. "I've only had two boyfriends before. I'm not sure what to do. I know I want to do things with you, I just…"

Naruto smiled gently. "You're nervous. That's okay. We can do this as fast or as slow as we want."

"Can we just… make-out for a little while?" Hana asked.

Naruto chuckled. "You know, that's what I offered Hinata the first time. She wanted to get straight to business, though. I think I could get used to you being the innocent, wholesome one on the crew."

Hana blushed.

Naruto leaned in and, dragging the moment out, planted his lips against hers. He kept contact for a few moments before pulling back, licking his lips to get the taste of Hana on his tongue. "Like that?"

"Uh-huh," she said a bit blankly. She looked like a pet presented with a treat for a first time and curious why she got it. "Let's do that again."

Naruto and Hana eventually wound up on the bed, shirtless and kissing just for the sake of kissing. Hana had all but drooled when she got a glimpse at Naruto's godlike physique, but been very self-conscious about her own toned, athletic frame. Naruto had no idea why she was so hesitant, she basically already had the body of a Thrall, just short the boobs and some extra muscle. Naruto still had plenty of fun with her 30B breasts, tickling and teasing the nipples with all the confidence from hours of practice with psychic feedback with Hinata.

"We haven't even slept together and I already feel like joining the crew was worth it!" Hana exclaimed when Naruto pulled back for air.

"Thank you kindly, miss Inuzuka," Naruto said with a self-satisfied grin. "We aim to please."

Hana blushed, feeling something very long and hard flex against her lower regions. "Can… can I see it?"

Naruto rolled off of her. Keeping eye contact, he reached down to his pants and unbuckled before taking them off. He kicked them off the side of the bed, leaving him naked next to her.

Hana's eyes were wide. "Wow. I think you're literally twice the size of the last guy I was with."

"Uzu cocks, not scaled for amateurs. Don't worry, the muscle relaxant in my precum will prevent any damage," Naruto explained.

"No, no, it's… exciting. It's part of your exotic appeal." Hana bit her lip before moving her head over to examine Naruto's hard cock up close. "All this will fit in my mouth?"

"Worked on everyone that came before you, no reason for it to stop now," Naruto said jovially. "Just take the tip in your mouth and swallow some pre. You'll nod off the first couple times, you can worry about technique then."

"And if I do this, I'll change into a different woman? My family might not even recognize me?" She asked hesitantly.

"They'll recognize you. You'll just be a bigger, brighter version of the girl they've always known. I could erase your clan marks but I won't because your family are still alive and I won't cause that problem for you this early in our union. I'd actually love to meet them. I'd like to see what it's like to be the boy a nice girl brings home."

Hana blushed. "My brothers and mother all insist on sparring with the boys I bring home."

"Fun. Then we'll have a nice way to work off the dinner I'll cook for them." Naruto flexed his dick. "I've got a meal ready for you right now, if you're hungry."

"Right, sorry. And I'll wake up after 14 hours, Hinata said?"

"On the dot. Not sure why. We can use an early start tomorrow anyway."

Hana gulped before grabbing hold of the thick shaft. "Then I guess it's time for lunch." With that, she bent down to swallow the head of the great spear into her mouth. Naruto's quad lurched, as if sensing a ripe new home for its contents was available. There was a surge of precum, and Naruto saw the light leave Hana's eyes. She began to suck mechanically from her position sat next to him on the bed. Naruto laid there and let her mouth and throat do their job until finally, he had a long, drawn-out release that ended with Hana with a blissful smile and a bloated tummy.

Naruto sighed. One of the compartments in his mind was now filled with a glowing representation of Hana. He immediately focused on healing all her current injuries first, leaving the main modifications for later. He wanted Hana in perfect shape the way she was now before altering her into something better.

Naruto made sure Hana was comfortable, tucked in and curled around her belly, before walking nude to the Officer's Lounge. The dress code on the Invictus was officially clothing optional, as far as the Commander was concerned.

He walked into the Officer's Lounge to the surprising sight of Sasuke laying back in his chair getting blown by Hinata, both still in their business clothes. It was like a scene from a high-budget porno: the business mogul getting serviced by his secretary.

"I'm guessing Hinata wanted dessert?" He said out loud to alert them he was there.

Sasuke grunted but projected *You had THIS all to yourself for a whole month? Luckiest sumbitch in the galaxy!*

*I wanted to check that his juices are as sweet as yours now. For the record, he's as sugary as a Konoha would be salty.*

"I hope you two saved some food for me, my ribs are showing," Naruto joked.

Both waved at the head of the table, where a heated plate of chicken, rice, and broccoli awaited him. Naruto made quick work of the still-warm food while Hinata proved to Sasuke that she was a talented fellatrix.

"Hana got her first dose. So we're starting our day at around 0400 tomorrow morning. We should turn in early tonight," Naruto thought aloud, wishing he could mentally talk to both at the same time.

Hinata gave a particularly hard suck and that proved Sasuke's downfall. He cried out, laying a hand on Hinata's head as his new cock and balls jettisoned their load of life-giving seed. Naruto felt a mild echo of Sasuke's pleasure, which was enough to put some lead in his pencil but not quite have him raring to go. Naruto watched as Sasuke seemed to relax every muscle in his body until he was a puddle in a suit in a chair. Hinata stood up, her mouth full. She walked over to Naruto and they shared a kiss, Hinata graciously giving Naruto a taste of Sasuke's first release as an Uzu.

"It's… it's never been like that," Sasuke gasped, looking down at his flacid length dangling out of his pants.

"Wait till you have actual sex! That'll be even more fun. There's a reason I'm basically a high-functioning sex addict, Sasuke," Naruto advised.

"Well, I enjoyed it! Though not quite as filling a treat as from Naruto at the end. Still, you came a lot for a human, if we're using that metric to compare," Hinata commented.

"Bigger balls, bigger load, I guess. Though, alas, I only have one pair," Sasuke said, tucking his soft length into his trousers and zipping back up.

"If I were going to give the male Thralls 4 balls, I might as well make them just as big as me. And then what would be the point of little old me? There's a reason I designed the 'Beta' build the way I did," Naruto explained himself.

"I don't think either of us are complaining," Hinata said. "So, any plans for the rest of the day?"

"I don't want to head for Karron until Hana has a chance to reconsider and back out, so we're stuck here at Port Heracles for the moment. You could tour the trade emporium, see more aliens if you wanted. Me, I'm going to report that piece of slime Gato to High Command. Sasuke, who's my handler now that you're retired?"

The Uchiha seemed to gather his head out of the clouds. "Probably my replacement, Aburame Shino."

Naruto blinked. "Shino's a Vice Admiral too? Wow, what did they put in the water on this ship?"

"I'm guessing he's an old colleague?" Hinata asked.

"Worked Intelligence while Sasuke was Commander. Always wore sunglasses indoors. Nice guy, if a little creepy about bugs. I'm glad he got the promotion, really."

"Anyway, if you're going to report Gato's misconduct, he's the one I'd call if I were you. Me, I think I'll go down to the gym and put this new body through its paces. I'd love to see what I'm capable of now."

"Just don't accidentally cheat with Psychic Strength or Speed," Hinata advised. "Me, I think I'll head to the Firing Range. Work out the kinks from when Naruto uploaded his skills into my brain. Never know when the next firefight could be."

Naruto nodded. "Well, the three of us have our plans, let's get to it!"

* * *

Hana recognized the nightmare even as it started. She was back in the Cargo Bay of the pirate Freighter. The Oni had just finished raping her second crewmate to death. It had turned to face her, roaring it's rage and lust. Above them, the pirates hooted and brayed, enjoying the sick show.

Normally, this is where Hana would start crying and cursing herself, blaming the whole attack on her own inaction. Instead, she felt a curious peace suffuse her. "It wasn't my fault. It was those despicable pirates and the Oni," she realized, for perhaps the first time since the attack.

And then the angels arrived.

The beautiful angel appeared at her side, blasted the Oni to death, and then lifted her out of the pit. The handsome angel mowed down the pirates with shards of light. Both treated Hana to kind smiles that let her know she was safe. And then they were flying away to safety.

Hana woke up from her first positive dream since the attack, a small smile on her face, aware she was desperately thirsty.

"Here, beautiful. I know, this will help," came a mellifluous voice in her ear. A big glass of water appeared, held out by a tanned hand. Hana took it, tilting the glass down her mouth to get the previous liquid inside. When Hana stopped halfway through the glass, she looked up.

Hinata, the female angel from her dream, was smiling beautifully down at her with such care in her expression. She was naked as a jaybird, which Hana was a tad intimidated by. Hinata had such a perfect body. Though, if she were to be believed, Hana would have the same body in a week's time. All it would take was blowing her boyfriend, Hana's other savior, regularly at mealtimes.

"Good morning! How'd you sleep?" Hinata asked cheerfully, those lilac eyes alight with positivity.

"Better than I have in weeks," Hana admitted.

"That tends to happen when you go to bed with a belly full of Naruto's cum. It just fills you up with warmth and light, I find." Hinata crouched down and tapped the glass. "Finish up. You're dehydrated right now. We're not sure what causes it. Might have to recruit a doctor one day to find out."

Hana finished her glass of water, handing it to Hinata who placed it on the bedside table. Hana looked over her shoulder to see who else was in the bed with her, only to see Naruto and Sasuke still asleep, the smaller man spooning the bigger. Seeing the two men together stirred some deep urges in Hana's belly. It was just so… forbidden, in her mind. She'd been raised traditionally, even with her mother and father having their roles all but reversed. She knew if any of her brothers brought home another man he'd be welcomed with open arms, but still.

"They look delicious together, don't they?" Hinata giggled under her breath. "I can't wait for the day one of them actually fucks the other. That will be such a sight to see."

Hana turned to Hinata. "It really doesn't bother you? Having two boyfriends? Those boyfriends BEING boyfriends?"

"No more than it does to have a new girlfriend," Hinata said with a smile. "Naruto is building a family, and I'm lucky enough to be part of it. And I'll love every new member every bit as much as I love him." She blinked. "Well, I'll try. I might favor him unconsciously. He is my first love, after all."

Hana nodded, feeling like she was getting to understand this strange dynamic she'd signed up for. "So, everybody loves everybody? That's how this crew works?"

"I see it as Naruto is our Sun, and the rest of us are the planets orbiting him. We're free to do whatever we want, but it all comes back to him," Hinata explained. "He's the one who heals us broken little birds back into those that soar."

Hana blinked. "You were broken, like me?"

Hinata shrugged. "Well, not exactly like you." Hinata reached into the bedside drawer and pulled out a foldout ID that, despite being cleaned, had clearly seen better days. Hinata flipped it open and handed it to Hana.

Hana opened the ID, and the first thing that struck her was the photo of the girl inside. She was so pale, so clearly malnourished even from just her face. Her hair looked dead. About the only point of color in her face… was her lavender eyes. Incredulous, Hana read the provided information of the ID.

"This… is you?" Hana asked incredulously.

"The way I looked my 16th birthday when I got my ID issued. Then I met Naruto last month and well, now I got all this," Hinata said, doing a little dance to indicate her jiggly body. "Speaking of the healing properties of Uzu cum, you notice Naruto's gift to you yet?"

"What gift?" Hana asked, still pitching her voice low to not wake Naruto or Sasuke.

"Your first dose was spent restoring you to 'factory settings', so to speak. You're completely healed from the pirate attack. Come, I'll show you," Hinata said, pulling Hana out of bed and into the closet.

Hana hesitated looking in the mirror, not wanting to see how she compared side-by-side with Hinata. But, with Hinata's gentle encouragement, Hana eventually looked up. And couldn't believe her eyes. Her nose was perfect. No swelling at all. Hana twisted her sides, and her ribs didn't ache. She angled her back to see the welts from the neural whip, but they weren't to be found. Ridiculous as it sounded, all of Hana's injuries had been cured in one night.

"He's so considerate, isn't he? Now, even if you back out before the 3rd dose, you're better off than if you never came aboard." Hinata sighed. "We're very lucky girls to have a man like him to look after us, aren't we?"

Unable to contain herself, Hana ran out of the closet and jumped on the bed. Naruto startled, only to find his face grabbed and dragged into a searing kiss. When he was finally let up for air, it was to find a grateful Inuzuka Hana in his face.

"Good morning?" Naruto said dazedly.

"That was your thank you for healing me. Now, I believe I'm still two doses off from being an official member of the crew?" Hana said leadingly.

Sasuke rolled off the other side of the bed. "I think it's clear that she's sticking around. Hinata and I will plot the course to Karron, give you some privacy."

"Aw, we're not going to watch?" Hinata asked, put out. Sasuke took her hand and dragged her from the room, leaving Naruto and Hana alone in the giant bed.

"You know, we don't have to leave Heracles just yet. You still have a chance to…" Naruto trailed off as Hana lifted the sheet off his lap and began to rub his slumbering shaft to its full engorged majesty.

"I'm the Tactical Officer of the Uzumaki Pack. I want it, you want it, let's just do it already," Hana said in her most convincing tone. "Unless you don't want me?"

Naruto leaned in to kiss Hana. "I'll want you for a thousand years, and then a thousand more, and on and on until this journey ends for us."

Hana's only response to that was to take Naruto's cock into her mouth and begin to suck.

When Hana next became aware, she had all three of her crewmates waiting in the room with her. And her stomach was rounded out like she'd stuffed herself silly at her last meal… which in a way she had.

"Hey, everyone," Hana greeted.

"Sleeping Beauty is awake," Sasuke said, looking up from a Holo-reader.

"Really? But she hasn't even been kissed?" Hinata asked playfully.

Naruto sat down on the edge of the bed. "You feeling okay?"

"Never better," Hana said, rubbing her rotund stomach absently. "So, one more dose and I'm one of you?"

"Eh, technically no. You'll be one of us after a week. Third dose and you'll have an Astral Bond to Naruto and an Empathic Bond with me as the Matriarch," Hinata explained. She shrugged. "But basically, yeah, you'll be past the point-of-no-return."

"Is that something you're okay with? You can back out if you really want to. We'll have to turn around back towards Port Heracles but…" Naruto was shut up by Hana's lips on his.

"I. Choose. You. Forever." Hana punctuated each word with a kiss. "You, Uzumaki Naruto, saved my life. And I owe it to you and Hinata and myself to live that life to the fullest, and I intend to do that with you."

Naruto grinned like a little boy, and it hurt Hana's eyes, it was so bright. "Then let's feed you your second breakfast, shall we?"

Hana didn't even care that her third blowjob with Naruto had an audience. Even when she discovered her surprise ability to deepthroat, she wasn't thrown off her rhythm. She kept sucking from the tip to the base, until Naruto's quad unleashed their torrent.

Hana licked her lips, sitting back and patting her super-packed tummy. "That do it?"

*Yep, that did it. Welcome to the family, Hana.*

* * *

**I rushed a bit at the end, sorry. I just wanted to get this out soon as possible. As always, please fave, follow, or review.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Over sixty faves and followers, though I was sad to see one follower go. I hope we can increase those numbers going forward, but if I'm doomed to a small audience, I'll at least give a great show.**

* * *

Hinata hopped onto the bed and hugged Hana. "I can feel you! You're so happy, it's amazing!" She cheered as she molded herself around Hana, taking care not to put pressure on her inflated belly.

Hana belatedly returned the hug. "You're welcome? So, what's the difference between an Astral Bond and an Empathic Bond? There wasn't exactly a Psionics 101 course at the Academy."

Naruto grinned at seeing his women together. "You and I have an Astral Bond, which is basically a tether across the Astral Plane. It means even if we were in separate systems, we could communicate. You and Hinata have a weaker bond called an Empathic Bond. She can sense your emotions and she has one-way Telepathy with you."

Hana frowned. "But I thought it was the Matriarch's job to keep track of the Thralls? Why would she have a weaker bond than you?"

"From what we can tell, most Uzu don't use their Astral Bond with their Thralls to talk. They use them to leech psychic energy from them or use mind control. I'm doing things a bit different, obviously," Naruto said with a shrug.

Sasuke raised his hand, his eyes still locked on the Holo-reader. "Case in point, he has a Patriarch."

Hana looked at Sasuke. "What are you reading?" She asked, wanting to get to know her crewmate at the same time.

"A few of my old access codes still work. I'm keeping track of intel from the Kumo Empire. Every day, we're getting closer to a full-blown war. If I didn't know better, I'd say we had a traitor on our side."

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "Are you sure you can know better, though? There has to be a reason the conflict is going so bad. A traitor makes as much sense as any other option."

"With so much going so bad, it'd have to be a Rear Admiral or even higher. We have yearly loyalty tests to make sure things like betrayal don't happen at that stage. Someone cunning enough to fool the tests AND get that high a rank… that thought puts a chill in my bones."

Hana tilted her head. "What do you mean, old access codes?"

"Last week, I was a Vice Admiral before I retired to join Naruto. The Konoha Federation is a bit slow when it comes to clearing out old passwords, but you didn't hear that from me."

Hana's eyes about popped out of her head. "V-vice Admiral?" She sputtered.

"Retired. Don't panic, now he's just another one of Naruto's love slaves," Hinata advised.

"I'm going to be sleeping with someone who outranks my mother," Hana said dazedly.

"Ranked, past tense." Sasuke looked up and grinned. "Like Hinata said, I'm just another one of Naruto's pretty people now."

"And you love it, admit it," Naruto teased.

"This has certainly been the most interesting week of my life so far, I'll give you that."

Hana managed to process Sasuke's former status and realize for the first time that she was the only one without clothes. "Um, can I have something to wear? I want to see the ship I'll be serving on and I'm not really a nudist outside the bedroom."

"You'll get over that," Hinata said, patting Hana on the back.

Naruto, meanwhile, had walked into the closet and come out with a white button-up shirt that would prove quite roomy on Hana, even accounting for her engorged middle. "Here, honey, you can wear this."

Hinata put on a hurt expression so fast it could only be fake. "I thought I was your honey?"

Naruto winced. "Sorry, babe, I'll try to be more original with my pet names."

"Naw, don't bother. I think it's sweet how you view us all the same, no preference." Hinata said, taking the shirt from him. "Come on, Hana, let's get you dressed and then we can tour the Invictus."

Hana buttoned up the shirt, taking care over bulging belly. In the end, she gave a little spin. "How do I look?"

Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata all had to hide lusty expressions. Hana looked adorable, almost angelic in the white shirt that grazed her knees, her bump on obvious display. All they needed was to get her in the kitchen and she'd look barefoot and pregnant all the way. Naruto and Sasuke were turned on by the idea of it being their baby growing in her womb, while Hinata was filled with a rush of horniness to share in her sister's fertility.

"Guys?" Hana asked self-consciously.

"Great, great, you look great," they all said in unison.

Hana narrowed her eyes, but before she could ask Naruto reached out to take her hand and pull her out the door. "Come on, lots to see. First stop, the Kitchen!"

*Brilliant idea,* Sasuke projected.

*Would I get this fawned over if I wore that shirt after a meal with you?* Hinata had a playful glint in her eye.

They walked down the hallway of Deck 2 to the Officer's Lounge. Hana 'ooh'ed and 'aah'ed appropriately at the place they spent taking their traditional meals, and the three Uzu got their desired look at Hana barefoot and (looking) pregnant in the kitchen. After that, it was a long, wandering tour down through the decks. Deck 3 held nothing but conference rooms and empty storage space. Deck 4 is where the Marines had been housed during the Invictus' hayday, and had much more cramped quarters and a proper Mess Hall than the officer's floor two decks up. Decks 5 and 6 were mostly machinery linked either to the Invictus' weapons or life support, but Hinata managed to make it fun with lots of cool facts and bits of trivia she'd learned while studying the Holo-reader for the ship. Deck 7 is where they spent most of their time besides the bedroom and the Command Deck. It had the Gym, the Firing Range, the Medical Bay, the Pharmacy, and the Armory. Given all their guns were in the closet in the Commander's Quarters, the last was really just a big empty room. Naruto's best plans for it was to convert it into Tenten's workshop, should she agree to join the crew. Then there was just the Docking Bay and the slightly larger Cargo Bay of Deck 9, and they were all done except for the Command Deck. Over the course of the tour, Hana's stomach had gone down. She still looked quite fetching wearing nothing but one of Naruto's shirts, but the real kicker had been lost.

"And last but not least, the Bridge," Naruto announced as they entered the elevator for a final time. Hana gasped when she stepped into the ovoid chamber, her eyes taken in by the hologram of their trek through the galaxy. The counter next to their route announced they would reach Karron in under 12 days.

*Less than half the time it took in the Fool's Gold, I'm still in shock. You're incredible, babe,* Naruto projected to his Matriarch.

*I might be convinced to take time from bonding with Sasuke to help you feed Hana this next week, if you make it worth my while,* she responded.

While Naruto dealt with the image of Hinata and Hana in the same bed, Hinata went to her XO Chair and flicked a few switches. A console down and to the left of her came online, the lights coming on one after the other. "Tactical Station online. Ready to take your post, Lieutenant?" Hinata barked out like every stereotypical drill sergeant.

"Yes, ma'am!" Hana snapped an automatic salute. Then, with a squeal of girlish delight, she took her seat. She sank into the complicated Tactical Chair. "This is just like the one from the simulator back in the Academy!" she exclaimed with glee. Pressing a few buttons on the armrests, a series of holographic targeting arrays appeared in the air around the Chair, even as two joysticks rose out of the seat.

She pressed a couple of buttons and large holographic images sprang to life in the middle of the Bridge, displaying tactical information for her crewmates to see. An image of the Invictus rotated slowly before them, looking sleek and menacing. Hana flipped a safety switch and then pushed a foreboding looking red button on the top of her right controller.

Armoured panels on the hull of the Invictus began to slide away, revealing the hidden arsenal beneath.

"Weapons armed, Commander." Hana stated, following standard Konoha Federation protocol.

"Remind me again what the old girl is capable of, Lieutenant," Naruto ordered, sinking into the Command Chair and regarding the Tactical Map taking pride of place in the air above them.

"Very well. In increasing order of lethality: Gatling Laser defence net," Hana named, flicking a switch and revealing dozens of firing arcs originating from all over the Invictus. "For missiles and fighters. Laser Cannons," Hana listed, 24 larger arcs appearing on the hologram, six in each cardinal direction, two on the top deck for every one on the bottom deck. "Medium range and designed for mildly armored targets. Beam Lasers," Hana continued, cycling to six forward-facing barrels on the Invictus's front, each one over 30 meters in length. "Long range and powerful enough to punch through heavy shielding. And finally, the main guns: the Mass Drivers," Hana said grandly, turning on the two-hundred-meter long barrels the Invictus had been built around. "For when you really want to fuck something up!" Hana threw in, her youthful exuberance overtaking her military discipline.

"You feeling like a firing test, Lieutenant?" Naruto asked, finding her enthusiasm contagious.

"Aye, Commander!" Hana said enthusiastically.

"Hinata, any asteroid belts nearby?" Naruto asked.

Hinata scanned the map of nearby systems they were passing in hyperwarp. "There's an uninhabited belt in a system that's a five minute detour. Shall I lay in a course?"

"Perfect, please do," Naruto commanded.

Five minutes later, the Invictus dropped from hyperwarp in a system that was utterly devoid of life. There were just some gas giants, dead planetoids, and a sizeable asteroid belt. The Invictus flew in, the exposed barrels looking like teeth bared in a snarl as it prowled closer to its unwitting victims. The unsuspecting asteroids drifted and rotated slowly, as though performing an intricate dance with one another.

Hana focused intently on the targeting grids in front of her. "Firing beams!" she said excitedly as her finger caressed the trigger on the right control. Six lances of coruscating energy blasted outwards and sliced an enormous tumbling asteroid in half. The chunks separated cleanly, each half glowing from the heat of the incision.

"Main guns!" She cried out, as she cycled through the weapons and unloaded the Mass Drivers. The Invictus trembled with the recoil, as the 200-meter-long magnetic coils accelerated the shells to hyperwarp velocity. Two sets of massive impacts punched into each of the split asteroid chunks causing spectacular craters, before the shells detonated a second later. The two halves of the asteroid detonated into a thousand pieces, devastated by the colossal explosions.

"Laser Cannons!" Hana gasped, as the turreted laser cannons began to track and vaporise the larger asteroid fragments in a cascade of bright energy blasts.

"Point defence!" Calara panted, as ribbons of laser fire erupted around the Invictus, the Gatling lasers opening up on the pitiful remnants of the once majestic asteroid.

Hinata watched in awe as the destructive power of the Cruiser was finally unleashed. She had never before witnessed firepower of this magnitude and it scared her more than a little. She was lost in her thoughts as she looked out over the hazy field of gravel, all that remained of the once huge tumbling asteroid.

Hana turned to Naruto for approval. Seeing her so flushed and full of life at the chance to command such a powerful ship, Naruto could only do one thing. "Report to my Ready Room, Lieutenant Inuzuka," Naruto ordered gruffly. She leapt from her Tactical Chair and all but ran to meet him as he opened the door to the adjacent room.

Sasuke came up to lay his hand on Hinata's shoulder. She jerked out of her haze. "It's intimidating I know, even or perhaps especially knowing it's all on your side. You're hardly the first to be awed by a display of might by a Konoha Federation ship."

"Right," Hinata agreed absently. She swiveled the joystick to have them flying back towards the Nav Beacon and back into hyperwarp. "And this is just the Invictus. I've read enough on engineering over the past month to appreciate the Uzu schematics are for absolute monsters of weapons. A fully-armed Uzu vessel could crack open a planet within an hour of orbital bombardment. In that lens, a small asteroid seems like nothing."

Sasuke got a faraway look in his eyes. "I know. I see them too, now. And we have no idea how old that tech is. Tenten might even be able to upgrade it. I never thought I'd ever run into a civilization so advanced their equivalent of a Gatling Laser was stronger than our best Beam Lasers. Then I wound up joining it."

"If anyone can do it, it's Tenten. And if not her, then enhanced Tenten sure can." Hinata stood and hugged Sasuke. "We both knew what we signed up for. And Naruto is going to use it all to protect and defend, not destroy and conquer."

"I know. Just need to remind myself every now and then, you know?" Sasuke said into her embrace.

The sound of a feminine squeal of delight hit them from this side of the Ready Room door.

"Pretty sure standard protocol isn't to reward an outstanding display of talent with womb-stuffing intercourse," Sasuke said dryly.

"It is on this ship!" Hinata darted over. "Now, to watch or not to watch. On the one hand, give them privacy to enjoy this special first time together. On the other hand… oh, who am I kidding? We're going to watch." With that, Hinata opened the door, letting the sound of flesh smacking against flesh fill the Bridge. "Sasuke, come on!" Hinata called as she strolled in.

Sasuke checked that all the systems were nominal before entering the Ready Room. He was treated to a spectacular sight. Naruto stood naked, a sight that never failed to take Sasuke's breath away. He was pounding his hips into Hana's at a rapid pace, driving his incredible cock in and out of her pussy and womb. Hana was bent over one of the couches, clutching the back with her hands, her whole body seemingly trying to stand up to the constant assault of her lover. Hinata was just stripping off and walking over to the other side of the sofa Hana was holding.

Sasuke felt a 'knock' on his mental shields. *Yes?* he projected hesitantly.

*I feel like setting up a mirror. Feel up for it?* Hinata's playful voice filled his head.

Sasuike puzzled over his words until he saw Hinata arch her back just like Hana was as she gripped the back of the sofa with her hands next to Hana's. *You mean?*

*As memory serves, you do owe me one. Or I could fuck you again and make it a carnival mirror,* Hinata offered.

Sasuke immediately divested his vestments. *No, no, I'm fine with fucking you.* His hard cock bobbing along in front of him as he moved, Sasuke came up behind Hinata, which put him in a position to look Hana and Naruto in the face if they bothered to look up. With some hesitance (he hadn't exactly done this in a while), Sasuke fed the head of his cock into Hinata's leaking cunt. His eyes practically crossed at the amount of pleasure the stimulation of his genitals were providing. Sasuke pressed as deep as he could, and found to his surprise that his crown hit her cervix with an inch or two still free.

*Just keep pushing, you'll get balls-deep,* Naruto advised mentally.

Aware it didn't work like that in the real world, but willing to bet it did in Uzu world, Sasuke increased the pressure of his hips. He distinctly felt Hinata's cervix give way like a second pussy deep inside her, letting his head into a chamber of perfect, pillowy warmth. It felt so nice, Sasuke pressed as deep into Hinata as he could, until his balls were flush with her clit and his hips were leaving marks on her heart-shaped ass.

*Want a little contest? I bet, even with my head start, I last longer than you,* Naruto challenged cockily, a smirk on his face even as he pounded into the receptive, nubile body of his Tactical Officer.

*No bet. I acknowledge you're a god of sex, I'm just one of your disciples. I WILL make her cum at least once though,* Sasuke fired back.

With that, Sasuke began to thrust.

The four crewmates of the Invictus engaged in their afternoon fun, the men pounding into the women with matching strokes. Hana was on cloud 9. "So… Damn… Big!" She gasped out as Naruto kept pounding into the back wall of her womb, all but piercing into her intestines. Hinata herself was enjoying the novel experience of being taken by Sasuke. And what he may lack however little in size compared to Naruto, he at least knew what he was doing back there, aiming for her G-spot and reaching around the rub her clit. True to Naruto's prediction, Sasuke wound up caving and climaxing first, but he'd at least managed to make it to Hinata's third. Seeing his Matriarch and Patriarch lost in a haze of lust enflamed Naruto to pound Hana even harder doggy style, until she was begging for him to cum and give her relief. With that, Naruto finally stopped when he was quad-deep, filling Hana so much that her belly button popped out, Naruto having built up a big load during their marathon session. When it was finally done, Naruto pulled out, Hana collapsing onto the couch she'd been using as a support.

"I'm all big again," she said dazedly, her mind still fried from over an hour of Naruto loving.

"Yes. Now let's get that out of your pussy and into your stomach where it'll be useful," Naruto said warmly. With an act of Telekinesis, Naruto removed his seed from Hana's insides and directed it back into her mouth and down her throat.

"That's even weirder watching it happen to someone else," Hinata commented, skipping her clothes back on.

"I'll never have that problem. If he cums in my ass instead of my mouth, he'll move it internally instead," Sasuke said, wiping his brow of sweat. "Been decades since I had sex like that," he muttered under his breath.

"Aw, the big Vice Admiral wasn't pulling his fair share of tail?" Naruto teased.

"I was working 16 hour days with no weekends or holidays. Who has time for a girlfriend or even a hooker when you're that busy?" Sasuke asked as Hana finished the last of her "lunch".

"My mother is Captain of the Damocles and she doesn't work that hard. I guess Administrative work is even tougher than running a ship," Hana commented, rubbing her tummy through her sweat-soaked white shirt.

"The K-Fed is, above all else, a bureaucracy. It's a bloody nightmare, I wish I'd stayed in the fleet side of things. But I just couldn't resist the 'cushy' job at Olympus once I lost my arm."

"You lost your arm? Is that how you were broken when Naruto found you? You lost a wing?" Hana asked.

"That's stretching the metaphor but yes. I got nerve damage to my shoulder in our last raid in the Invictus eleven years ago. They said I'd never so much as curl my fingers again. Then Hinata healed me after a minute of Psychic Healing, just like that. And I hadn't even heard the proposal yet." Sasuke grinned warmly at his newest lover. "She's whimsical and powerful, a dangerous combination."

"Yes, beware. For I am the future Queen of the Galaxy, and all are subject to my whimsy! Mwahaha!" Hinata cackled.

Naruto sent phantom fingers to tickle her into a coma. He offered his hand to Hana on the couch. "Come on, I think we all could use a shower. Hinata will join us after a while."

They left the Matriarch gasping for breath on the ground and went into the elevator. Hana had a burning look on her face but she hesitated.

*Go ahead sweetie, ask. There are no secrets on this ship* Naruto projected into her mind.

"So, you two served together?" Hana asked.

"I took command of the Invictus in '52, Naruto joined up in '58. We served together for a decade, though he was just another Marine to me for most of it," Sasuke answered.

"So, no trysts? No assigning each other the midnight shift? Just a soldier and his Commander the whole time?" She asked, sounding disappointed.

"Is that what your parents did? I looked it up, your brothers were born seven months after your mother went on leave for her wedding and your father retired," Naruto observed.

Hana blushed scarlet. "So much for that family secret," she muttered.

"Seriously, though, I was Kinsey 0 straight before my first taste of Uzu cum and all the changes that followed. It never would have occured to me to come on to the blonde Marine hunk," Sasuke explained.

"If you were straight, why would you ever drink his cum?" Hana asked, confused

"Immortality, psychic powers, a better body. Not to mention he let me eat his creampie out of Hinata for the first go at it, and that was something I was already dying to do."

Hana blinked before blushing. "That would work for a straight guy. Probably for a lesbian too, if Naruto ever decides to recruit one of those."

"It's Hinata who decides who to recruit, I just say yay or nay," Naruto said, leading them into the bathroom. He shed his clothes for the maintenance robots to pick up later and strolled into the open shower. He turned a couple faucets and soon hot, steaming water was pouring down over him. Hana and Sasuke soon joined him. Naruto filled his hands with shower gel from a wall-mounted dispenser and proceed to clean both of them, and Hinata when she showed up finally. Each member of his pack luxuriated in receiving one-on-one attention from the Alpha. When he finished, the three of them worked in tandem to ensure he was properly groomed as well. Three sets of hands massaging every inch of his skin was a downright sinful experience to Naruto. They wound up spending at least as much time in the shower as they had in the Ready Room.

"Well, three of us missed lunch. How about I cook us a big dinner while you guys have drinks and relax in the lounge? Anyone allergic to anything?"

"No idea," Hinata said.

"Not sure anymore," Sasuke shrugged.

"Peanuts, but I don't know if you cured that yet," Hana replied.

Naruto shook his head. "Right, dumb question. Hinata and Sasuke should be good. Let's not take a chance with Hana, so no peanuts. Anyone opposed to Beef Marsala with pasta?"

"Was your grandparents' restaurant an Italian place? Never had it but I'll try," Hinata asked.

"It was an ethnic restaurant. We had different specials from all over Konoha depending on the week. I grew up cooking for a variety of styles and nationalities," Naruto answered.

"What's your favorite food? And as long as it's beef, not veal, I'm okay. No baby animals for me," Hana stated emphatically.

Sasuke snorted. "Any kind of ramen, from a cardboard cup or a luxury restaurant. Am I right?"

"I was maybe a bit overzealous in describing to my crewmates the wonders of ramen while I was stationed here," Naruto said, scratching the back of his head.

They walked into the Officer's Lounge and Naruto vanished into the kitchen to prep the meal for his crew. Some might find it backwards that the leader was serving his subordinates, but Naruto genuinely loved to cook. It had been a bonding activity between him and his grandma. Sasuke fetched himself a glass of whiskey on the rocks while Hana showed Hinata how to make a lime spritzer from some juice, vodka, and seltzer.

"I've never had drunk sex," Hinata said out of nowhere after her third spritzer. "Well, not legally drunk. For that matter, not legally sex, either."

"What kind of partners did you have before Naruto?" Hana asked, curious.

"For one thing, they weren't partners. They were tricks. I was paid in food and a warm bed for the night," Hinata admitted without embarrassment. "I did that from 12-15, then I met Tenten. I scavenged the trash heaps for useful parts for her and she shared what portions the Diablos deemed fit to give her. After that, I only had to pull john's when times were hard."

"Oh, my God! Where did you grow up?" Hana asked, dismayed that someone so nice and pretty had such a rough start in life.

"Karron, the asteroid we're headed for. I first met Naruto by stowing away on his Freighter after he visited for trade. Now I'm going back as a new woman to rescue my friend. And possibly burn the place down, I'm still debating that one."

"We're not blowing up Karron so long as there's one innocent soul inside it," Sasuke stated decisively. "And yes, kids count."

"Darn," Hinata muttered, taking another sip.

"Is there a reason we're going to such an awful place besides a rescue op? Not that I'm against it, just curious what I signed up for," Hana asked.

Hinata and Sasuke shared a grin. "One word, my sweet: Tyrenium." Hinata smiled wide. "Multiple tons of it, if they tapped out the vein by now."

Hana gaped. "Tyrenium? You guys are rich enough to trade in that?"

"Well, last we checked, the mine owner had no idea of it's real value. Naruto got ten tons for a pittance. Hopefully he can buy what's left at the same price per ton," Hinata explained with half-lidded eyes. "And then it's back to Gravitus, hopefully this Shino guy is as generous as Sasuke was, and then it's time for a shopping spree on Gravitus. Maybe we'll have time to recruit Sakura while we're there!"

"Who's Sakura?"

"A very nice, very pretty attendant at the first boutique we went to. I got a little horny watching her dress Hinata in all those fine clothes," Naruto spoke up, carrying out a pan of beef fillets drowned in a brown sauce with mushrooms and on a bed of egg noodles. "Bon appetit, everyone. Careful, it's very hot."

"Was that some alien phrase?" Hinata asked, stumbling a little on the way to the table. Lesson learned, Hinata was a deceptive drunk, much more intoxicated than her diction would have you believe.

"It's French, an old Konoha language before we converted to Standard," Sasuke said, balancing his crewmate as she swayed back and forth in her seat. "I think we've discovered her weakness: vodka spritzers."

"Really? Mine's rum and ginger ales. I can suck those down like water and before you know it I'm stripping along to the jukebox."

"Is that what caused the Incident of Christmas '59? You DID strip along to Jingle Bell Rock. Half the Marine corps were traumatized and made to feel inadequate before you passed out," Sasuke recalled.

Hana burst into giggles. "Oh, that I would have paid to see."

Naruto blushed but grinned good naturedly. "I was a week from turning 21, I could be forgiven for doing something a bit foolish."

They all dug into the food, which naturally was delicious, especially with alcohol influencing their sense of taste. Naruto quickly joined his crewmates in inebriation with some quality sake stashed behind the bar, and they passed a pleasant hour conversing over bites of quality food. When they finished, Sasuke and Hana volunteered to do the dishes, Hinata too woozy from her fifth spritzer to help. They all settled into the couch facing the window, watching the galaxy go by at hyperwarp speeds.

"You ever imagine the day we'll go intergalactic?" Hana asked, her shoulder on the arm rest and her feet tucked in Naruto's lap, getting massaged. "I hear there's an experimental ship in R&D for crossing the divide to the Andromeda."

"There is, but it's low priority. The Konoha Federation isn't going to add a new boundary to defend when it's position is already so stretched here in the Elemental Spiral," Sasuke said knowingly.

"Still, it is something to think about. A whole new galaxy, another few billion stars and trillion planets to explore. Maybe we'll do it, after we establish our position here. We'll have a Wormhole Generator, the trip won't take long," Naruto theorized. "Maybe that's how we'll spend our golden years before we settle down for kids, exploring the universe, going where no one has gone before."

"I expect you to father my young this century, Uzumaki. So we won't go exploring for that long, just a few decades," Hinata spoke up from where her head was pillowed in Sasuke's lap.

"Plenty can happen in a few decades. Look what's happened the last few weeks," Naruto pointed out.

Hana shook her head. "You really are immortal, aren't you? You're thinking in timescales that seem utterly foreign to me."

"This time next week, you'll be one of us, Hana. Speaking of which, I hope you saved room for dessert," Naruto said leadingly, unbuttoning his pants.

Hinata and Sasuke watched from the sides as Hana blew their collective boyfriend. Having already proved his stamina earlier today, Naruto didn't try to hold out. Soon, Hana was cuddled in Naruto's lap, his big hands rubbing her extended tummy under his shirt. They soon retreated to bed afterwards, slipping into dream's grasp after Hana was treated to the show of the nightly warding. She was a bit too sleepy to grasp the idea of nightmare creatures in another dimension, but she liked her transparent blanket of hexagons.

* * *

The next week flew by for the happy crew. Hana wanted to familiarize herself with the Tactical controls and so spent most of her spare time on the Bridge. Sasuke accompanied her, the Holo-reader he'd given Hinata in hand, trying to relearn how what he still thought as "his" ship worked and keep an eye on the promising young recruit. Hinata seemed to really be getting into Ballistics, and spent hours unloading clip after clip of caseless ammo in the Firing Range. Naruto, freed from his usual jobs of maintenance or cleaning by the ship's new robots, spent hours in the Gym, either pushing his physical skills or developing his psionic ones. He had a pretty good grasp on Telekinesis and was getting increasingly passable in Psychic Fire, Lightning and Ice. Once he mastered those elements, he could move on to Wind and Water Manipulation, and from there to Light/Shadow and Gravity. Once he mastered all of those, the only element left would be Aether, the substance of raw thought. Being hit with that stuff directly attacked your very sanity. Or so his Uzu memories told Naruto.

At mealtimes, they would all meet up together. Naruto, Hinata, and Sasuke would have long, complex discussions over food, while Hana had her mouth full blowing the Commander for all he was worth. Combined with early morning and late night surprises, the Inuzuka was getting at least three meals a day. And the changes were obvious to all but her, it seemed.

Hinata and Sasuke, as she'd promised, got up to hijinks of their own. With Naruto preoccupied with Hana, the other two had to get their daily fix of orgasms from each other. Naruto had once walked into the shower to see Sasuke holding Hinata upside-down while she blew him, a vertical 69 that required either incredible strength on Sasuke's part or the help of Telekinesis. Naruto just chuckled and turned to leave, deciding he could take a piss in one of the empty cabins. Another time, Sasuke and Hinata insisted on joining in on one of Hana's feedings, with Sauske plowing her pussy while Hinata lapped at her clit, Naruto the other half of the spitroast. Seeing Hinata go down on another woman, even or perhaps especially when another man's cock was inside her, had led Naruto to busting an explosive nut.

The second week of April was coming to a close when Hana awoke one morning to find herself alone in bed. Confused, she looked up, only to be hit in the face with a handful of handmade confetti by Hinata. In a big holographic banner across the ceiling appeared the words "Welcome to the world, Uzu #4!"

"Surprise," the men cheered, as Hinata seemed determined to bury Hana in cut up pieces of paper.

Hana sat up, picking a piece of paper out of her eye. "You mean it? The transformation is complete?"

"Feel your ears and tell us!" Hinata said bouncily, looking ready to jump off the walls.

The Tactical Officer reached up and gasped at the unfamiliar shape. "Oh my… what am I going to tell my family?" She worried.

"Along with the other changes, growth spurt and cosmetic surgery. You can claim it was part of the perk package of signing up on the crew." Naruto opened the door to the closet. "Come on, come see the full effect."

Hana got up from the bed, and for the first time noticed the smooth gait of a runway model she unconsciously affected. She walked into the closet alongside her crewmates, who arranged around her supportively as she prepared to look in the mirror. Bracing herself, Hana looked up. And blinked.

"Is this a trick mirror?"

"Of course not," Hinata frowned.

"That can't be me. She's too pretty."

Sasuke sighed. "Look here, dear." Sasuke patiently walked Hana on a tour around her new face, pointing out old points of reference like her clan tattoos, until she saw that she still looked herself, just an idealized beautiful version of herself. And her body was a twin of Hinata's, from the 32D breasts to the flawless tan complexion to the mouth-watering ass.

"Wow. I'm… I'm totally hot!" She realized belatedly.

"You can thank my four boys for their hard work whenever you're ready," Naruto said with a letchy expression.

Hana responded by leaping onto him and kissing his fiercely. As Hana rode Naruto down to the carpet, Hinata and Sasuke slipped out.

"While they do that, there's something I've been wanting to try," Hinata said, leading Sasuke onto the bed.

"Hmm, what's that?" Sasuke asked, his ten-inch monster beginning to awake.

"Nothing sexy, that can come after. I was thinking instead of a way that we might form an Astral Bond."

Sasuke blinked. "You mean, so we could share thoughts the same way we do with Naruto."

"Yes. I've been going over all the Uzu knowledge I have on them, and I think I might have found a way besides the Uzu jizz route."

"I'm all ears, love," Sasuke said.

Hinata hugged him and pulled him down. She pulled the covers up over them until they went over their heads. In the incredible intimate space created, they could do nothing but share breath.

"I need you to let me in. And I need to let you in. We need to touch… Souls, for lack of a better, and then pull back with a piece of each other's. That should form an Astral Bond. So look into my eyes, and try to let down every barrier," Hinata instructed in a whisper.

Sasuke nodded and then looked deep into those lavender pools, into the pupil and down into the dark. This was Hinata. His Matriarch, his woman, his wife one day. Co-wife, but still. Sasuke tried to wander naked into the very depths of her consciousness as he purposefully lowered all his normal shields.

*That's it. Come into me, Sasuke,* he heard in his head. Sasuke continued what he was doing, and felt Hinata making similar progress into the mire of his own Astral being. They kept walking down the rabbit hole until eventually they reached the end, where Sasuke found himself in the heart of all that was Hinata and she was in the heart of Sasuke. They stayed there for a timeless moment, before carefully withdrawing, each holding a thread from that secret place.

Sasuke blinked, and he found himself back under the covers with Hinata.

*Did it work?* He projected.

*Did what work? What were you two doing?* Naruto asked.

*Yes, boys, it worked,* they BOTH heard. Hinata sat up with a triumphant grin. *Pack mind, here we come!*

* * *

**Karron the second go around and Tenten in the next chapter. Please fave, follow, or review.**


	12. Chapter 12

**I know I said Karron this chapter, but turns out I had one more filler left in me before we got there. I hope it entertains.**

* * *

Hana looked up from the chair she'd been sitting in, stomach still bloated from her breakfast after her and Naruto's impromptu closet sex. "Did I miss something?"

Hinata hopped off the bed to bounce over to Hana. "I cracked the secret of Astral Bonds! Now it's only a matter of time before the whole crew has a group mind, or pack mind as I like to call it. Imagine how we'll be able to coordinate in battle! Or the espionage we could do! This could very well be our secret weapon! Well, aside from every other psychic power we have on hand, of course. But a pack mind is still fucking useful, I say!"

"It is, babe," Naruto said, wrapping his Matriarch in a hug. "So, you and Sasuke want to do the same with Hana now? You were only under for about an hour."

Hinata frowned. "I'm not ready to bond with her yet. The connection is too weak. And if it's too weak for me, it's too weak for Sasuke. We'll have to spend more time with Hana first."

"I'm fine with that. I loved being Naruto's sole focus this last week, but I want to get to know my XO and Chief of Staff as well." Hana grinned brightly. "We're going to be best friends before you know it!"

"Friendship rather than discipline. Perhaps a better way to run a ship, but much harder to arrange," Sasuke mused, still sitting on the bed. "Now, perhaps we should all get dressed and go about our days? As memory serves, these are pirate-infested systems and we don't want to be naked should it come time for a boarding action."

Naruto snapped. "Right, boarding action. That reminds me. I did this for Hinata, I should probably do it for you two too." Naruto gave first Sasuke and then Hana a long, lingering kiss.

Sasuke blinked. "Why do I suddenly know Jujitsu?"

"Or how to factor wind when the target is over 500 meters away?" Hana added.

Hinata chucked. "He did this for me before we boarded the pirates that attacked Hana's Corvette. He telepathically gave you copies of his skills at self-defense and combat. I've worked out most of the kinks myself in the Firing Range and Gym by this point, but you both should still be better equipped than if you'd walked into a fight blind."

Hana bounced up. "Can we spar? Please? My family all practice martial arts except me, they wouldn't let me learn and I didn't have time to take the courses at the Academy with my Tactical specialization. It would be so nice if the next time I see one of my brothers I can throw him on his ass!"

Naruto grinned. "I'd be happy to, honey. Though I should warn you, on this crew we spar for anal sex priviliges, loser receives."

Hana blushed scarlet but seemed determined. "What happens if I win?"

"You're an Uzu now, you can make Psychic Constructs. Like I said, loser receives."

Hana's brain seemed to short-circuit. "You… you mean…"

"Pegging, dear, the word is pegging," Hinata instructed. "It really is something, to have a big strong man turn into a begging puddle on your mind-dildo. I've only got to do it once on either of them and I'll always treasure those memories."

"So, Hana and I are going to spar in the Gym until lunch, or thereabouts. Sasuke, Hinata, what are you up to?"

Sasuke shrugged on workout clothes. "I'd like to join Hinata in straightening out the kinks of this memory transfer in the Firing Range. Maybe she can update them, even, if she's gotten better than you by now."

"It wouldn't surprise me at all if she had. She's been working at it a whole week, that's how long it took her to get her Navigator First Class license."

Sasuke stumbled. "You got that license after only a week of study?"

"With a perfect score. Enhanced intellect, which you now have too. It's our one advantage over our muscle-bound hunk of a leader.

"Me Naruto. You Hinata. We bang bang like monkeys later," Naruto grunted.

Course decided, the two teams shared an elevator ride to Deck 7. Sasuke and Hinata, looking very intimidating with Naruto's two XR73 Rifles shouldered, went into the Firing Range to practice accuracy and speed. Naruto and Hana went into the gym, past the pool which Hana eyed excitedly, and to the workout mats set aside for self-defense practice.

"First thing we're going to do is warm up. I know that's unlikely to happen before a real fight, but the last thing we need is to strain a muscle when it could be avoided," Naruto instructed his student.

Hana nodded. "Yes, Commander."

Naruto led Hana through a series of stretches, working each individual muscle group until their whole bodies were warm and loose. "Right. Now, I'm going to show you the standard Konoha Federation close combat kata. It's a mixture from various styles that the eggheads in High Command have deemed most effective in a fight. There are variations on it, including the Special Ops kata I'll show you later. But for now, I'm starting you with the moveset that your brothers have all been practicing since they were teenagers."

"Fair enough. Let's get started!" Hana said, bouncing on the balls of her toes.

Naruto proceeded to mime the sequence, with Hana doing a passable job at following along through the whole ten minutes. Then he repeated it. And then again. Once he was certain she could repeat it without mistakes, Naruto began to circle her and stop her to correct her form whenever she overextended or misplaced her feet. Hana never made the same mistake twice and within an hour was doing a textbook kata flawlessly.

Naruto shook his head. "I almost feel guilty for giving you this enhanced intellect, if you're going to use it to become a killing machine."

"Isn't that what Thralls are for? Soldiers for the Uzu's army?"

"You're much more than just a Thrall, honey, you're an Uzu in your own right. But unlike me, you have all the advantages of a Thrall. If you three wanted to mutiny, I couldn't really stop you."

Hana winced in pain. "Don't talk about us betraying you. It hurts my heart."

"And that's the weakness of a Thrall, the threat of their Uzu's destruction. That really scares me, the idea that you'd all be catatonic or suicidal if something happened to me," Naruto brooded.

"I'm not even going to think about that. We're all immortal, and we're going to live happily ever after and drown in the amount of children we all have. That's the end of it," Hana said decisively.

Naruto chuckled. "Whatever you say, babe. Now, time for the Special Ops kata. It's basically the standard kata 2.0, with a few tricks thrown in hard-learned from years of boarding actions. Your mother MAY have learned this version, but your brothers certainly haven't."

Hana's eyes flashed with excitement. "What are we waiting for then? Let's get started."

Naruto led Hana through the much more intense workout of the new kata, lasting twenty minutes a run and covering for much more brutal tactics. Again, Hana seemed to half-know the kata before she even started, and with positive reinforcement and gentle encouragement, managed to have the whole thing memorized after an hour.

"Brilliant, Hana. I doubt I've seen it better done by my instructor at the Academy. Now, time to put it in action," Naruto praised, which made Hana all but glow. At his final words though, she tensed and went into the stance she had just perfected. Naruto mirrored her with his own stance. "I have my own style I've synthesized from the martial arts I've already learned, the Special Ops training, and a few alien brawling moves I've picked up over the years. Which leads us to our first lesson: how do you beat a stronger, faster, more experienced opponent?"

Hana furrowed her brow. "Shoot him before the fight starts?"

"Good idea, but wrong answer. You'll find out in a moment. Ready?" Hana firmed her stance, her eyes tracking Naruto for the first hint of movement. "Go!" And with a surge of Psychic Speed and Strength, Naruto literally picked Hana up, placed her down, and pinned her.

Hana blinked and spasmed, trying to get out of his hold. "Hey!"

"The answer is: you don't. If you have a gun or any other weapon, the odds might be stacked slightly more in your favor. But 99 times out of 100, when you're up against a better fighter, the smart answer is to surrender or run. Don't risk your life trying to prove something, like how strong or committed you are. Just kneel down, roll over and show your belly, and trust that your teammates will rescue you eventually. That's the hardest lesson every Marine had to learn: how to give up when fighting was pointless. Better to preserve your life and fight another day than go down in a blaze of glory."

Hana remembered something. "But I've got psychic powers!" So saying, she reached for the power marked 'Telekinesis' in her mind and tried to throw Naruto off of her.

To no effect.

"And if you were any good at them, you'd have realized I put up a Null-Zone almost before we landed, to prevent tricks like that. It's like a psychic dead zone, no powers in the affected area, not even the caster's. This is a lesson in physical martial arts. Let's keep it about them. When you're a multiple black belt that can hand me my ass, then you can experiment with adding psychic powers to the mix. Until then, it's just good old-fashioned blood, sweat, and tears," Naruto instructed. Then his voice turned erotically menacing. "Now, I believe I warned you about the penalty for losing a spar…"

Hana's eyes widened before she grinned and seemed to snuggle into Naruto's embrace. "Indeed you did."

"And I won, fair and square. Now the prize is mine for the taking," Naruto crooned, nipping her ear and neck.

"Yes!" she gasped at the stimulating touches.

Shifting his grip so he was holding her down with only one hand, Naruto grabbed Hana's shorts and, with a surge of purely physical strength, ripped them off her body. She gasped, feeling her borrowed clothes get ruined. "Those were Hinata's," she protested weakly.

"I'll make it up to her," Naruto grunted, reaching into his pocket. Pulling out a bottle of lube, he inserted the nozzle into her delicate rosebud and squeezed. filling her insides with the lubricant. She shuddered at the cool liquid deep in her guts, which Naruto proceeded to rearrange by thrusting a couple fingers into her hole. She gasped and grunted at the unfamiliar but lovely sensations of Naruto reaching into her rectum. When Naruto deemed her appropriately prepared, he pulled his digits free. Shucking his own shorts down to his ankles, he aligned her leaking prick with her opened hole.

"You want it?" Naruto growled.

"Yes! Stick it in!" Hana cried, feeling deliciously feminine and helpless trapped under his male grip.

With her blessing, Naruto thrust his cock all the way in until his quad was nestled against her pussy, his crown pulsing deep in Hana's colon.

"Holy buggering shit!" Hana breathed out. "You're inside me. You're not in my pussy, but you're still all the way inside me. You're in my ASS. My virgin little ass."

"Not a virgin anymore, Hana. Now you're a fully-fucked bitch of the Pack. And now your Alpha is going to ride you until he shoots so far up your insides it comes out your mouth!" So saying, Naruto reaffirmed his pin on Hana and went to town, thrusting up and down into Hana's rear chute, the very top of his erection bulging out her tummy on the upstroke. The feel of something so hot and huge in previously untapped depths sent Hana reeling, with no option other than to lie there and take it. She was soon drooling on the ground, her eyes rolling back into her head. Seeing the total 'ahegao' look on his partner's face sent Naruto into a frenzy, humping like a dog in heat, until his orgasm finally brought an end to the anal lovemaking.

"Fuck, that's the stuff," Naruto breathed as he pumped the last drop out of his quad. Withdrawing his meat stick from Hana's ass, Naruto checked on his Tactical Officer. "Hana? Honey? You okay?"

"... That's how I'll 'lose' a match with you? I'll never honestly try to win!" Hana exclaimed when she came down from the dizzying heights Naruto's dick had sent her.

"Not even with the thought of returning the favor to motivate you?" Naruto asked playfully, like a fox.

Hana shuddered. "I think it would be more weird than sexy to do that to you. Plus, now that I know that's a thing, I'm pretty sure I walked in on my parents doing that one Valentine's Day when I was 8. So no pegging for me, nope, nope."

"Well, the option's yours if you ever beat me in a spar. Now, let's make sure that load I gave you goes to good use," Naruto said, focusing on his seed with Telekinesis.

Hana shuddered as she felt the pints of semi-liquid spunk travel through her large and small intestines and into her stomach. "We should make you do this to yourself one day, then you'd know how weird it feels."

"Yeah, not risking it. My body might reject it. I gagged the one time I tried my own cum. I can only imagine how my stomach would react to a full load."

"Curious. Would the same thing happen to Sasuke?"

"Pretty sure not, but then again his sperm aren't psychically charged. So he can suck himself off whenever he wants to, but that's just not an option for me. Now, I believe it's about lunchtime."

Helping Hana to her feet, Naruto and Hana left the Gym to find Hinata and Sasuke waiting by the elevator for them. Seeing Hana walking without bottoms made Hinata grin wickedly. "See, Sasuke, I told you that quickie wouldn't bother Naruto. He had his own session with Hana."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "At some point, I'll learn to just smile and nod along with anything you say."

"Good practice?" Naruto asked as they slid into the elevator.

"I hit five bull's-eyes in a row. I've never hit a bull's-eye before in my life," Sasuke reported in awe of his own success. "And Hinata made me look like a kid with a BB gun. She's a better shot that you, Naruto. Possibly the best shot I've ever seen, really."

"It's all just math, once you know what to calculate for," Hinata shrugged, downplaying her hard-earned talent.

"You could make a fortune in the pool halls," Sasuke remarked.

"No thanks, I'll stick with Naruto's fortune. All 96 million and change."

Hana blinked, overcoming her embarrassment at having no bottoms. "That's how rich you are?"

"Well, that's the total after all our purchases in Alpha Centauri, including the Invictus. And it's how rich you are too, sweetie. My ryo chit is keyed to accept all of you as users. I added you while you were asleep this morning once I was sure your DNA had settled."

Hana blinked up at Naruto as he led the four of them to the Officer's Lounge. "You trust me with all that money?"

"In a word, yes. I trust you to be loyal to me for an eternity, the least I can do is give you access to the family coffers," Naruto explained himself. "Now, I feel like pasta. Carbonara okay with everyone?"

"What's in that again?" Sasuke asked.

"Ham, bacon, peas, creamy butter sauce over thin noodles. It's my favorite and I don't even get to eat it," Hana pouted, rubbing her gravid belly.

Naruto's face fell. "Oh, I'm sorry honey. Don't worry, I'll make something else. We can have your favorite tomorrow, I promise."

"You really don't have to…" Hana trailed off as Naruto vanished into the Kitchen without another word.

"There's no talking him out of it, so expect an empty tummy tomorrow around lunch or dinner," Hinata advised. "If you're taking suggestions, Naruto, I haven't tried crab yet!" she called.

"Crab Ravioli it is. Give me 40 minutes to prep the crab and make all the shells and then we're good to go!" Naruto's voice came from the Kitchen.

"While we're waiting, we can get to know each other better. Naruto tells me you come from a military family?" Sasuke asked Hana.

"Yeah. Mom started out as Bridge crew for the Damocles and stuck around long enough to make Commander. My dad transferred in and supposedly it was love at first sight. They got a lot of heat about tiptoeing the line around the no fraternization policy. Then my mom got pregnant with the triplets out of nowhere, and my Dad decided to retire to look after the family while my mom kept her career. We're pretty sure I was conceived at the after-party for her promotion to Captain, and then it was a quiet few years getting raised on Jericho. The boys all enlisted in the Academy their 16th birthday, and I was only a couple years behind them."

"What was everyone's specializations?" Sasuke asked, fascinated. His own family wasn't so much career military as career power-mongers, and he and Itachi had just happened to pick the Navy for their political playground.

"Mom was Tactical, so I'm following in her footsteps. Dad worked Comms. Kuromaru is a doctor, Akamaru is in Engineering and Kiba is a pilot. My mom used to joke that we could all crew our own ship, the KFSS Inuzuka. I guess now that dream's toast," Hana said with a wry smirk. "I wouldn't transfer back even if I had the chance."

"You'd pick us over your family?" Hinata asked, shocked. Hana seemed to have had the kind of childhood Hinata and Tenten had dreamed about. That she'd throw that away after a week with them seemed extreme.

"It would break my heart, but I need to live my own life. You guys have already given me so much. I want to be worthy of that."

Sasuke and Hinata both gave Hana a hug, with Naruto flooding her mind with affection and appreciation through the Bond. The moment passed, and the conversation continued. Hana told amusing stories from the Academy and her brief stint on the Griffon, while Sasuke and Hinata had their own share of anecdotes to fuel the talk. Before they knew it, Naruto was placing a plate of steaming ravioli on the central mat of the table, each one about two bites worth of food.

"Crab Ravioli, enjoy my people," Naruto proclaimed.

"Remember to kiss the chef!" Hinata called, pecking the blonde on the cheek while Hana and Sasuke came around to do the same. Then they all sat down and gorged themselves on flat dumplings filled with perfectly seasoned crab.

"Add this to my favorites! This stuff is delicious!" Hinata exclaimed around a full mouth.

"We can load up the pantry with more exotic fare next time we're at Gravitus. You like crab, you should love lobster," Naruto grinned.

"Lobster on the Invictus. What's next, caviar and foie gras? Champagne with every meal?" Sasuke muttered.

"We're millionaires, Sasuke. Possibly billionaires if there's enough Tyrenium at Karron and we survive the trip back to Olympus. We can afford to splurge on the grocery list. At least she hasn't discovered alien cuisine yet."

Hana's eyes lit up. "Oh, that reminds me. I went to this food festival one weekend at the Academy and they had Oto dishes to sample. I didn't even mind they were vegetarian, they were so yummy!"

Hinata's eyes flashed. "Very well. First, Olympus. Then, Suna. After that, off to the Oto Regency for a bit of food tourism!"

Hana blinked. "We're going to Suna? Why?"

"I thought they might have information on the Uzu and I wanted to check to confirm. If all else fails, we can also get an upgraded Power Core and Tachyon Drive for the Invictus to hold us over until Tenten makes Uzu equivalents. The Suna have the best in the galaxy."

"They'll charge you through the nose for civilian-grade equipment. But much as it pains me to admit, even that would be an improvement on our Konoha Federation tech," Sasuke sighed.

Hana patted her dwindling waistline. "So, these schematics for Uzu tech, you can all see them in your head?"

"Yes, and so should you be able," Hinata said. "Give it a good hard think, like you were looking for a blind spot in your own head."

Hana focused and then, much like when she saw her physical changes in the mirror, she was suddenly aware of a whole section of her mind dedicated to Uzu blueprints and ancestral knowledge. She zoomed through them, stopping at random on certain inventions that caught her eye. By sheer happenstance, she settled on the Weapons Control System.

"Oh, wow! The Uzu Tactical Chair is amazing! It seems designed to use every hand and eye movement to track or fire the weapons! It makes what we have on the Bridge seem clumsy as the first automobiles!"

Naruto nodded. "The tech supremacy the Uzu have over the Galactic League cannot be overstated. That's why I'm really hoping Tenten will have the know-how to actually build some of it for us so we can use it."

"But there's, like, over a dozen synthetic or exotic elements that aren't even on the Periodic Table in here, to say nothing of mixtures and alloys. How could we possibly synthesize those?" Hana asked.

Naruto sighed. "I suppose we could rent reactor time at a big fusion plant. But that could get expensive even by our standards very quickly."

"I don't suppose we could save a whole species and they'd let us use one of their reactors pro bono?" Hinata asked.

"Not likely, Hinata," Sasuke said, barely stopping from rolling his eyes.

"You never know. It could happen," Naruto defended. "Now, I think for this afternoon we should switch. I can teach Hana how to shoot while Hinata teaches Sasuke how to spar. Sound okay?"

"I'm going to get my ass kicked by a teenage girl. Is this a fantasy or a nightmare?" Sasuke wondered aloud.

"I'll whip him into shape! And remember, Sasuke, we spar for anal sex," Hinata purred.

"I'm fucked, by more than one definition," Sasuke stated flatly.

Naruto and Hana went to grab the XR73 Rifles left by the door, and then went for the elevator, trailed by Hinata and Sasuke (after a quick detour to get Hana some pants). The rest of the afternoon passed in a blur of gunfire and kicks for our quartet. Sasuke had been a martial arts prodigy but hadn't done a kata in over a decade due to his bum arm, so he was badly out of practice and predictably lost. Hinata managed to coax a long, drawn-out release from his magic button as compensation. Naruto observed the same phenomenal learning curve in Hana's shooting as he had her fighting. By the end of the afternoon, she was trying and succeeding at trick shots that would have eluded him.

"You should train with Hinata tomorrow. She could have you at her level in a day, with the rate you improve," Naruto marveled.

"Two girls bonding over gunfire, just like in the movies," Hana said lightly. They saw Hinata and Sasuke approaching. Hana took one look at Sasuke's slight limp and blushed up a storm. "Oh, good God."

"I take it Hinata won?" Naruto asked with a cheeky grin.

"Not a word out of you. That's twice I've had to endure it, you only did it the once," Sasuke growled.

"Endure. You make it sound like such a hardship," Hinata said with a pout.

"Would you be this grouchy if you took it from me later tonight?" Naruto asked, eyes alight with lusty intention.

The other three paused.

"Would it be inappropriate for me to bring popcorn?" Hinata asked.

"NaruSasu," Hana breathed out, her inner yaoi fan coming to life.

Sasuke blushed. "Well, I wouldn't say no to finally being properly claimed by you."

"Aright, then. But to warm us up for the special event, Hinata and Hana are going to give us a show."

"Yowza! Ladies and gentleman, it's Homo Night on the Invictus!" Hinata cheered.

Hana blushed prettily. "We haven't had one-on-one attention between us. I'd like to experiment with you, might as well be tonight."

"And then I take an Alpha Uzu cock up my ass. That should be fun," Sasuke stated.

"I've gotten nothing but rave reviews so far, man. Just relax and let me in," Naruto whispered in his ear.

And the four of them went into the elevator, a night of earthly delights ahead of them.

* * *

They woke the next day bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. Hinata won the game of Rock-Paper-Scissors to get the right to Naruto's morning load. Leading Hana with rifles in hand, Hinata took Hana down to the Firing Range. Sasuke elected to stay on the Bridge to keep an eye out for pirates and Naruto chose to practice wielding two different elements in each hand in the Gym. Lunch was a fun affair, all four of them eating for a change. Sasuke and Hana gave a two-person blowjob for dessert, splitting Naruto's cum roughly evenly between them. Their afternoons resembled their mornings, until dinner and a long group bath to relax after a long day.

The next day was uneventful, Hana back on the Bridge mastering the Tactical Chair with Sasuke as a companion, Hinata and Naruto having a mock psychic duel in the Gym. After lunch, Naruto had just persuaded Hinata into trying swimming lessons when Hana contacted Naruto mentally.

*Incoming distress beacon, Commander. Please report to the Bridge.*

Naruto was all business in an instant. "Change of plans, babe. We're picking up a distress call."

"But is it real or a decoy like the last one?" Hinata asked as they waited impatiently for the elevator.

"In either case, this isn't the Fool's Gold. If it's an attack, we'll help. And if it's another trap, those pirates will rue the day we crossed paths." *Sasuke, what's it look like?*

*Four ships, three of them without transponder codes. The last ship is a Heavy Freighter. My gut says raid in progress.* The Chief of Staff sounded cold and logical as he assessed the situation.

Naruto and Hinata burst out of the elevator, going straight for their Chairs. "Hana, try hailing the Freighter."

"Three minutes to intercept, we're practically on top of them," Hinata reported, resorting to speech to keep Hana in the loop.

"This should be easy, the Invictus is bigger than those three ships combined. Let's just hope the pirates haven't started a boarding action yet," Sasuke analyzed, his red eyes glowing bright from the holograms.

"The Freighter is hailing us, Commander. They're the source of the distress beacon," Hana reported.

Naruto hit a button on his Command Chair to open a channel. "This is Uzumaki Naruto, Commander of the Cruiser Invictus. What's the situation?"

"Oh, thank God!" Came the panicked reply. A shaky image of a man appeared in the air above the Bridge. "You got to help us! We're being attacked by pirates, slavers I think!"

"Hang tight, we'll be there in two minutes," Naruto reassured. "Just attempt evasive maneuvers until we get there."

"A-alright, Commander."

With that, Naruto ended the transmission. "Weapons hot, Lieutenant," he ordered, his strong unwavering voice filling his crew with confidence.

They surged forward, the Cruisers massive engines throbbing with power and Hana was able to pick up more information on the pirates as they closed in.

"A Lexon class Frigate and two bulk Corvettes, sir!" she exclaimed, hitting a button to show the marauding pirate ships as they pursued the limping Heavy Freighter. They could see the rear of the Freighter was pock marked with numerous craters, where the pirates had tried to disable the engines with weapons fire.

"XO, raise shields," Naruto commanded, before hitting a button that would hail the pirate ships.

"Pirate vessels, cease all hostile actions and power down and you will be spared" Naruto ordered curtly.

"Go fuck yourself jerkwad!" came the well reasoned reply from the Frigate.

Naruto shrugged to himself. If they wanted to sign their own death warrant, so be it. "Fire at will Lieutenant!" he ordered.

Hana was focusing intently on the holographic targeting matrix in front of her and her finger carefully depressed the trigger on the right control. Six scintillating beams of energy punched into the Frigate, overloading it's shields in a single devastating strike and following through to shear off the rear quarter of the ship. Without its engines to hold it steady, the frigate began to slowly tumble forward in a roll, still maintaining its previous momentum.

The Invictus bore down inexorably as the bulk Corvettes began evasive manoeuvres, desperate to escape from the lethal warship.

"Remaining ships attempting to withdraw, Commander. Orders?" Hana asked.

"You know the penalty for piracy, Lieutenant" Naruto replied firmly. "Finish them," he said, his sombre voice sounding their death knell.

Hana nodded grimly and the Corvettes came under attack from a withering hail of Laser Cannon blasts. Their weak shields managed to deflect the first couple of impacts, but they were totally outclassed by the military grade laser cannons and soon collapsed. The fleeing pirate hulls lit up from the concentrated firepower and both ships exploded practically simultaneously.

Hinata brought the Invictus around so that it was directly astern of the crippled Frigate. She could see escape pods blasting clear of the ship, as the pirates frantically deserted the doomed craft. Hana caressed the trigger and the beam lasers cored through the length of the frigate, causing the front of the ship to explode outwards, scattering glowing debris in a wide arc.

"Perfect attack. All ships neutralized, not even a hit on our shields," Sasuke noted with approval.

"Excellent work, ladies," Naruto said with approval, making their hearts lift. He hit a button that would hail the Freighter.

"Oh, thank you Commander, you saved us all!" The man from before had a grateful expression on his face.

"My crew did the real work, but thanks. Can you make it to your destination from here or do you need a tow?" Naruto asked politely.

"We're a little dinged up but nothing we can't handle. You can be on your way. We'll never forget you for this!" The man gave a cheerful wave and then the image cut out.

Hana resealed the weapons hatches, the Invictus's teeth retracting, as Hinata guided them back to the Nav Beacon and into hyperwarp toward Karron.

"Everyone, to my Ready Room," Naruto commanded, striding over and past the door to take his place behind his desk. Sasuke, Hinata, and Hana followed behind him, arranging themselves unconsciously in the order they joined the crew before him.

"Hinata, your piloting was brilliant. I can't believe you couldn't coordinate telepathically with Hana, it was so good. That could have single-handedly won us the battle. Hana, you handled your first combat like a veteran, and I'm incredibly proud to consider you my Tactical Officer. I love you both very much… now tell me how you feel after the attack," Naruto ordered.

"Standard Corvette houses around 20, Frigate about 50. I'm responsible for the death of about 100 people now," Hana said dejectedly.

"They weren't really people, though. They were pirates, probably the same band that attacked you. Scum like that is better off dead," Hinata said emphatically.

"Not to dehumanize the enemy, but they would have been executed like the swine they are even if they were captured and went to trial. We just saved the K-Fed a few thousand in legal costs, if you think about it," Sasuke spoke up.

"I won't say it gets easy. But I will say you learn to live with the blood on your hands. Just focus on all the good you've done. For example, the 34 people on that Freighter that we saved. Good, innocent people saved from death or worse at the hands of those pirates," Naruto hugged Hana.

Hana recovered herself under their words and care. "Thanks, everyone."

"I say we celebrate our first victory by all getting properly drunk!" Naruto proclaimed. "Hinata, Hana, you two go ahead. And go easy on the vodka, I don't want either of you sloshed before we get there."

"Okay!" Hinata chirped before taking Hana's hand. "Come on, Hana, let's let the menfolk talk while we get nice and lubed up… and then get drunk." The bluenette cackled at her own joke as the door closed behind them.

"So, what is it?" Sasuke asked.

Naruto replied mentally. *It must have been hard on you, seeing the Invictus in combat and not being in a position to do anything. I didn't realize what a passive role Chief of Staff was until now. Are you upset? I can find another job for you if you want.*

Sasuke sighed and smiled. *Idiot. I knew what I was signing up for. The Invictus belongs to you, not me anymore. I'm just a courtesy seat on the Bridge. I'll be nothing but a witness with Naval experience from here on out. I'm fine with that, save the seats for people that deserve them.*

Naruto grinned and kissed his Patriarch. *You are an amazing man, and I love you just as much as the ladies.*

*Never thought I'd say it to a man and mean it, but I love you too. Now come on. I'm eager to see your striptease after six rum and ginger ales.*

They entered the Officer's Lounge to find Hana and Hinata already well boozed, each nursing their third vodka spritzer. Since this was a celebration, Naruto went straight for the rum to catch up with them, while Sasuke caved and resorted to his own weakness: tequila. After an hour, things were blurry and everything was funny. After another hour, their sides hurt from laughter and it wasn't safe to stand up unassisted. Hinata told of fond memories of Tenten, two girls united against the universe. Calara had picked up a number of dirty jokes from her older brothers. Sasuke had a surprising number of slapstick anecdotes from running Olympus Shipyard. Naruto told tales of growing up on Konoha and the hijinks he'd gotten into in the Academy. By the time dinner came around, they were all too lazy to cook or even eat. They all just stared out the window at the streaking stars.

"Well, thish was fun. Now for a shower and bed. And shex. Maybe shex," Hinata declared when the chronometer hit 2000.

"We should, yawn, probably heal ourselves before we do. Don't want to have a hangover," Naruto advised.

Sasuke furrowed his brow before standing up straight. "Straight to sobriety? Psychic powers are so versatile."

"Mighty Uzu, immune to the consequences of mortal drinking!" Hana declared before using her own autophagy to get dry. "Seriously, this rocks."

"I don't think Hinata heard me before she went charging off," Naruto observed, eyes following the trail of clothes out the Lounge and down the hallway.

"Let's get her before she drowns herself in the shower," Sasuke sighed.

"You love her, warts and all, admit it," Hana teased.

"What relevance does that have to the issue?"

They indeed stopped Hinata from creating a bubble bath in the middle of the shower floor with some drunken Telekinesis. The fact that Water Manipulation was a mid-tier power and she managed it intoxicated only impressed Naruto. Eventually, Hinata realized she could heal her own drunkenness and joined them in the land of the sober. They all dried off after the shower and collapsed into a pile on the bed.

The next day, Naruto managed to coax all three members of his crew into the hot tub in the gym, the bubbly water feeling divine. For Hinata, it was a baby step towards the pool. For Sasuke and Hana, it was a relaxing way to spend an afternoon.

The next day was the day they were scheduled to arrived at Karron. At dinner, Naruto couldn't help asking "You nervous about tomorrow?"

Hinata shrugged. "Not really. The plan is solid. We meet up with Tenten to convince her to come aboard, if not necessarily offer the Gift. After that, a trip to Mizuki's mine to get the last of the Tyrenium. We check that he hasn't learned he was ripped off with Telepathy, and then it should be smooth sailing away from Karron plus Tenten and x tons of Tyrenium."

"And with our luck, there's equal chances of that happening or having to kidnap Tenten and fight off an army of mercs and gang members hired by one pissed off miner." Sasuke took another bite of his meal. "In any case, I trust in our ability to handle it."

"Being effectively demigods does inspire confidence in one's operations," Hana mused.

Naruto grinned. "Well, then, seems we're ready. Karron doesn't stand a chance."

* * *

**NOW Karron and Tenten next chapter. Apologies for the confusion. Please fave, follow, or review.**


	13. Chapter 13

**And so we cross the threshold into 100k territoryl. This is only the second story I've written that's gotten this far. Hope I attract a few more readers now.**

* * *

They awoke the next day and dressed quickly before heading up to the Bridge. The Invictus was about to arrive at Karron and they were all keen to see their destination after almost two weeks of travel. The cruiser left hyperwarp and Hinata plotted a course that would dock them directly with the mining colony.

There were only three available docking bays available at Karron and the Invictus was too large to fit into two of them. They had to wait 20 painfully slow minutes until a huge Heavy Freighter pulled clear of the last bay and headed off into the blackness of space. Hinata skilfully docked the huge Cruiser, guiding the ship carefully into the tight fit of the bored out tunnel that opened out into the docking bay. As the Cruiser glided to a halt with the aid of retro thrusters, massive airlock doors creaked closed behind them and a force field sprung into place over the tunnel as an extra precaution against depressurisation.

"Ok then, let's get moving." Naruto said to the crew.

It had been decided that Hana would man the Bridge and the Gatling Laser defence grid, while Sasuke would get suited up and stand guard outside the airlock as a more concrete deterrent against would-be thieves. Naruto and Hinata would wear street clothes and trust in Psychic Shields in the event of any danger. With luck, people would mistake the hexagons for ordinary force fields. Of course, personal force field generators was black ops level technology for the Konoha Federation, but that was neither here nor there.

Hana gave both Hinata and Naruto a kiss before returning to the Tactical Chair. Sasuke gave his own understated hugs to both before joining them in the elevator, dressed in Naruto's Kevlar bodysuit and sporting an XR73 Rifle. He stepped out the airlock with them and took a rest position, looking every inch the trained Marine bodyguard.

"Well, you're the native. You lead the way," Naruto said, waving Hinata ahead of him.

They had landed in a huge rough hewn docking bay, designed to load the hulking Freighters that came to take away the thousands of tons of valuable ore that were mined from the asteroid. Loading equipment and Storage crates lined the darkened edges of the bay and loomed in the shadows, making the loading dock seem sinister and foreboding.

"Follow me. And Sasuke, don't be afraid to let off a few shots at any lookiloos. Intimidation without teeth isn't intimidation on Karron," Hinata advised, her whole demeanor seeming to shift being back in the place of her birth.

Naruto trailed after Hinata as they left the docking bay and entered one of the major hubs of Karron. Hinata weaved through the dirty crowds with the confidence of a lifetime of practice, Naruto trailing in her wake. She eschewed any taxis for the side tunnels, leading Naruto on a twisting journey through a warren of passageways. The tunnels got smaller and more claustrophobic the further into the bowels of the asteroid they went. How Hinata had memorized this labyrinth before getting her intellect enhanced was a mystery to Naruto.

They eventually reached Diablo territory, as evidenced by the multitude of red fabric every able-bodied man and woman was wearing. *Aren't you worried someone might recognize you?*

*You're kidding, right?* Hinata asked, looking over her shoulder, tucking a strand of her rich thick hair behind her ear.

*Right, right, dumb question.*

Hinata finally led him up to a closed steel door, flanked by two heavily scarred men in gang jackets.

"Hey chief, what do you want eh?" One of the ghostly pale gang members asked Naruto, watching him warily.

Before he could speak, Hinata cut in "We're here to buy some custom gear from Tenten, we don't want any trouble."

She handed the man a credit stick for one hundred ryo. "For your assistance..." she said, smiling disarmingly.

Powerless to resist such a beautiful woman bearing gifts, the ganger let them through with a casual wave of his hand. His dour faced companion punched a button on a wall mounted panel and the locks on the reinforced door clanked open and swung open for them with an ominous creak.

Naruto followed along behind the bluenette, the darkly lit tunnels reverberating with wolf whistles as she strolled elegantly past gangers. The flirtatious comments and whistling grew quiet in her wake as the gangers spotted Naruto and eyed him suspiciously. They eventually reached a workshop cut into a side tunnel, the bright light from a welding torch casting dancing shadows through the entrance and on to the wall of the tunnel opposite.

"Yo, Tenten. Miss me, babe?" Hinata called out.

The welding torch cut out, and a wiry figure bent over the workbench looked up. She lifted her welding mask and Naruto got his glimpse at the woman his Matriarch considered a sister. She was a pixie-like, elvin girl that was really quite pretty, except for a large burn mark over her left eye that went down her neck. Her hair was cut and laced with sweat and grime, but seemed naturally raven-haired. She had an expression of hope when she first looked up, but her face closed off when she got a good look at them.

"Custom work is over on that wall, blueberry," she said gruffly in a delicate soprano. Then she turned back to her welding, flicking the mask closed again.

Naruto turned to where she pointed and saw a wall full of weapons racks, each slot featuring a custom piece running the gamut from pistols to an actual minigun. Naruto pulled an SMG from the rack, and recognized the black and chrome weapon as the work of a master gunsmith. Tenten, it seemed, lived up to the hype Hinata had given her. The ability to craft military-grade customized hardware in a slum like Karron spoke a lot to her talent. Replacing the gun, Naruto turned back to the reunion.

"Tenten, don't you recognize me?" Hinata asked, moving closer to the tetchy figure.

Grunting with irritation, Tenten turned off the oxy-acetylene torch and turned to face Hinata, dragging her welding mask off and revealing the full scale of the burn that dominated half her face. It was years old, and had gotten no prettier over the years. Naruto would be surprised if Tenten had full use of her left eye.

"Oh, sure, I remember you from our old modeling days!" Tenten said sarcastically. "Now why are you bothering me, I've got work to do!"

Hinata sighed. "Twas brilig and the slithy toves did gyre and gimble in the wabe. All mimsy were the borogoves…"

"And the momeraths outgraebe," Tenten finished, her eyes wide. "That's my favorite poem, how did you know that?"

"You taught it to me, remember? After that big fight with the Fletcher brothers? I got stuck with a knife and you had me repeat that verse over and over to distract me from the pain of your stitching me up."

Tenten's face closed off. "The girl I taught that to is dead."

"This isn't a ploy by Giorgio, Tenten. It's really me, Hinata."

"You're lying. Hinata looks nothing like you, bitch," Tenten snarled.

"I realize my body is a bit different, but I kept my hair and eye colors and general facial structure. Look past the holo-model glamour and really look at me, Tenten," Hinata encouraged.

Tenten peered closer at the living goddess in her workshop and felt her jaw drop. "There's no way…" she breathed.

"You got your burn trying to fix a generator but it blew up in your face when you were 7. Your favorite food is Mama Lizetti's Vermin Surprise because it's extra salty. You thought about hiring a hooker on your 18th birthday so your first time wouldn't go to a Diablo, but you backed out at the last minute. I KNOW you, Tenten. It's me, Hyuuga Hinata. Gusied up and made pretty, and it's still me. I gophered for you for the last three years."

Tenten was gaping like a fish. "It's really you! Well, what the hell happened to you? Was it a luxury bodysculpt job? Did they suck out your brain and stick it in a robot? The Hinata I know was smaller than me and had no boobs!"

Hinata grabbed handfuls of her own titflesh with a lusty expression. "I know, the novelty still hasn't worn off. I can't get into it at length right now, just know it's all thanks to him," Hinata said, hugging Naruto's arm.

Tenten turned eyes like a laser turret on Naruto. "Who's tall, bright, and handsome?"

"Uzumaki Naruto, pleasure to meet a friend of Hinata's." Naruto held out his palm, which Tenten tentatively shook. She seemed intimidated by his firm grip.

"And you, what, shelled out for Hinata's surgery?"

"I'm actually the trader you helped her sneak away with. I understand you're the one who gave her the code to my airlock. I'll be eternally grateful to you for that, you have my word."

Tenten raised a brow. "So, how did she change? You work R&D at a bodysculpt clinic and needed a test subject for an experimental procedure?"

Hinata glanced at the dark cavern leading into the Diablo's hideout. "We can't get into it right now. Just know that if you want the same thing to happen to you, you'll get to Docking Bay 3 in the next hour."

Tenten gaped. "You mean, run away? I haven't pissed off a ganger, Hinata. My whole life is in this cave. I'm not going to abandon all that just to become pretty."

"Even if you got the chance to buy whatever you wanted out of the Engineers' Almanac? Or the chance to work on highly advanced alien technology? If you came along," Hinata added with a wink.

Tenten wavered. "You'd seriously replace all my stuff if I ran away with you?" she demanded of Naruto.

"Replace? You can buy all brand-new as far as I care. I can afford it, and it'd be exactly what my Chief Engineer deserves."

Tenten blinked. "You're clowning. You're not clowning. I sense clowns. You're offering me a job aboard that hunk of rust?"

"I actually got a new ship since leaving last time. Go to the Docking Bay, you can't miss it."

Tenten chewed her lip. "The Diablos are hardly going to let me just waltz out of here. I'm their prize possession."

"Just say you're going to scavenge for parts. By the time they realize something's wrong, you'll be safe on the Invictus behind a wall of Laser weaponry. Just tell the guy standing out front 'the Matriarch sent me', and you're good." Hinata grinned. "Come on, Tenten. It's what we always dreamed of. Leaving Karron in our dust."

"I'll… I'll think about it, okay?"

*That's the most we'll get out of her. Now she's going to shut down to weigh the pros and cons.* Hinata told Naruto mentally.

"That's all we ask, Tenten. Remember, Docking Bay 3. The Matriarch sent you." With a final nod, Naruto turned and followed Hinata as she retraced the path out of there. In a few short minutes of walking, they were out of the heart of Diablo territory and back in one of the main hubs of the asteroid.

*I really hope she says yes. I've geared up this long to have her for a sister, I'd hate to be disappointed.*

*I'm sure she'll say yes, honey. She'll probably be waiting for us when we return with the Tyrenium. Now help me flag down a cab and let's get to a mine.*

The trip to the mine seemed to flash by, and before they knew it the two of them were in Mizuki's office. All it took was the use of Emotional Sight to tell that something was wrong. The amount of rage radiating off him despite his smiling appearance would raise alarm bells with anyone.

*Imagine if we were doing this blind. He's such a good actor we'd be completely ambushed,* Hinata mused.

*Just scan his thoughts when I bring up the Tyrenium,* Naruto instructed. "Mizuki, nice to see you again! How have things been?"

"Doing great, Uzumaki old pal. What brings you back to my humble mine?"

"I was wondering if you had found any more Tyrenium," Naruto asked leadingly.

Hinata Spirit-Walked and stuck her fingers into Mizuki's forehead. His inner dialogue was broadcast like a distress siren across the pack mind.

*Come around for a second bite? You'll pay, you sonuvabitch. You're going to regret playing me for a fool!*

*I don't know about you, but I think he found out you cheated him,* Sasuke said dryly.

*Clearly. But he seems like he wants to play nice first so I might be able to secure the Tyrenium legally before we knock him out,* Naruto reasoned.

"Tyrenium? Yes, we tapped out that vein. I've got a good 20 tons in storage," Mizuki said genially, the whole mental exchange happening in the silence after Naruto's question.

"Perfect. Same price per ton as last time? That's five million ryo. You could retire if you wanted!" Naruto joked along, but his eyes were cold.

"Sure thing. I assume you want to log it with the Merchant's Guild like last time?"

"I'd prefer that, yes," Naruto said, pulling the Manifest of the Invictus out of his pocket. Mimicking the actions of a month and a half ago, Mizuki typed some commands on his console and then plugged in an auth device.

Mizuki's eyes leered at Hinata. "You get a new girlfriend, Naruto?"

"I met Hinata the last time I came here, actually. She's a local," Naruto said flatly.

Mizuki raised a brow. "You? A Karron worm?"

"Born and raised. I saw a better life in Naruto and he was kind enough to have me," Hinata said with a sugar sweet smile.

The auth device beeped and Naruto struck, sending a wave of Psychic Sleep over Mizuki. He was counting sheep in seconds, slumping over his desk. Naruto retrieved his Manifest and led Hinata out of the office. They walked up to the lead truck carrying the ore hauled from storage, and entered the cab when they confirmed they were the buyers.

It was a bleak trip through the asteroid to Docking Bay 3, but Hinata pointed out local landmarks as they passed by. The driver seemed surprised at her knowledge, but kept silent. Naruto knew Hinata could have spoken telepathically and must by chattering nervously.

*Relax, babe. Mizuki was nipped in the bud. There's no way he arranged an ambush before we entered that office and he couldn't have done it in front of us.*

*Unless he has kill-on-sight orders with all his workers on you and one of them recognizes you. You don't grasp how low people here will sink for a few extra ryo.*

*We can have Shields up in an instant, and Healing will cover any injury that slips through.*

*Even a head shot?*

*... Let's not find out.*

They arrived at Docking Bay 3. Mizuki's workers seemed intimidated by their client owning such a formidable vessel. With a swipe of his wrist communicator, Naruto opened the doors of the Cargo Bay to the aft of the Invictus. The ore containers, twice the amount as last time, were laid out and locked down in magnetic slots.

*So that's what half a billion ryo in Tyrenium looks like,* Sasuke mused, waking over from the airlock to peer into the Cargo Bay.

*Two whole Singularity Drivers, the spine for a whole Dreadnought. The K-Fed will pay through the nose for this ore. We're about to go from rich to super-rich.* Naruto scanned the entrance to the Docking Bay as the truck drivers began to drive away. *Tenten hasn't come yet.*

*No, but it's only been half an hour and we gave her one. We're secure, we can afford to wait a half hour,* Sasuke reasoned.

*I so hope she comes,* Hinata yearned.

As if on cue, Tenten arrived with a sack over her shoulder and a panicked expression on her face. "The Diablos are after me!" She yelled, even as a swarm of red-wearing gangers flooded into the Docking Bay.

Naruto reacted without thinking. Activating Psychic Speed, he raced over to pick Tenten up and ran back to the safety of the Invictus. Sasuke reacted with all the reflexes of a Marine, sinking head shots into the three closest to catching up with Tenten. Hinata rushed over to the wall and, the instant Naruto was over the threshold, activated the Cargo Bay doors and atmospheric force fields. Before the Diablos could even process what happened or get into position, Tenten was safely ensconced inside the Invictus.

Tenten blinked. "Whoa, whiplash." Looking up, she regarded Naruto with disbelief. "How did you move that fast? You a military-grade cyborg or something?"

"My race are psychics. I used Psychic Speed to run over to you and run you back here," Naruto explained. "Welcome aboard the Invictus, by the way."

Hinata wrapped Tenten in a hug. "I was so worried! What tipped them off?"

"I don't know, I guess the fact I picked the closest trash heap to the fucking Navy Cruiser to scavenge was enough to set off alarm bells." Tenten turned to the titanium walls blocking her from her former captors. "They're still out there?"

"Depends. Any of them have any redeeming qualities at all?"

Tenten raised a brow. "They're gang members. I wouldn't lose a wink of sleep shooting them all myself."

"Roger." *Hana, open fire on the gangers banging on the side of the Invictus,* Naruto instructed his Tactical Officer.

*Gatling Lasers firing… targets neutralized.*

"They're all dead now. Consider it your signing bonus."

Tenten tilted her head before her mouth opened in an 'oh'. "Right, psychic. You got a gunner up top?"

"Hana, our Tactical Officer. Quite a lovely girl, just like Hinata."

"I think someone's hankering for another lesbo loving display," Hinata teased with a wicked grin.

Tenten gaped. "Who are you? The Hinata I knew would never have the guts to make a joke like that. And she wasn't a dyke."

"I'm still Hinata, but it's safe to say I'm no longer the Hinata you knew. I changed, as part of the process of joining Naruto's race. I'm like Hinata 2.0, all the positivity and none of the character flaws." Hinata grabbed Tenten's hand. "Let us show you what's waiting for you, Tenten. You won't regret coming here, I guarantee."

Tenten nodded hesitantly. Her eyes swiveled to Sasuke and her right cheek blushed. "Hubba, hubba, who's this hunk?"

"Uchiha Sasuke, Chief of Staff. I'm third-in-command of this vessel behind Naruto and Hinata… and thank you for the compliment, it made my day," Sasuke said stoically, hiding a faint hint of blush on his cheeks.

They walked over to the elevator, and went straight up to the Bridge. They walked to their respective positions, Tenten standing awkwardly, watching in awe as Hinata talked with Flight Control and piloted the Invictus out of Karron and to the Nav Beacon. Tenten had one first and final glimpse of the star she'd been born closest to before the mighty Cruiser vanished into hyperwarp.

"Say goodbye to Karron, Tenten, we never need to see it again. Though I suppose it might become a shrine once we're co-queens of the galaxy." Hinata stood up. "Guys, I think it's time we finally use the Briefing Room."

"I'd say you're right. We have a lot to explain to your friend. Hi, I'm Hana, by the way," Hana said, holding out her hand to Tenten.

"Tenten, but I guess you knew that. Hinata, did you drag your new crew all the way back to Karron just to pick up little old me?"

Naruto chuckled. "We would have for that reason alone, but our visit served a dual purpose. Mizuki mined multiple tons of Tyrenium and was selling it for a pittance. We're officially traders, so we came to trade."

Tenten took a look around her as if to encompass the whole Invictus. "First traders I met in a decommissioned mid-tier Naval vessel."

"Tyrenium is VERY lucrative. I bought this ship for a little over half of what I earned selling 10 tons of the stuff. Now we have 20 tons. How long to Olympus Shipyard, XO?"

"16.4 days, assuming no detours," Hinata answered without even looking at the hologram above them, doing the math in her mental atlas of the galaxy.

Tenten whipped her head at her childhood friend. "Since when are you a Navigator?"

"Briefing Room. Go, go, go!"

They all went through the door on the left side of the Bridge. They entered into a large conference room without any windows but a beautiful wooden desk taking up the center of the room. Naruto sat at the head of the table, Hinata to his right, Sasuke to his left, Hana next to Hinata and Tenten sitting hesitantly next to Sasuke.

"So, Tenten. It's a little obvious what your answer is, but do you want to be our Chief Engineer?" Naruto asked.

Tenten shrugged. "Better than a life forging guns for those worms. And Hinata mentioned something about becoming like her."

"Yes, about that. You should be aware that joining my crew comes with a considerable perk package, but it carries some very long-term strings. You should be made aware of them all and then decide if you really still want to work with us. If not, I'll reimburse you for all the equipment you lost and set you up at Port Heracles, and you can just keep in touch with Hinata via vid-feed. If you agree, though, then you'll become good as family to everyone in this room," Naruto said formally.

Tenten glanced at them all, before turning to Naruto. "Okay. So what's the big secret?"

"Let me show you a few images," Naruto said. He tapped a few commands on the console built into the desk, and six holograms appeared. One was Hinata's affirmation recording, the next her regarding herself in the Fool's Gold Cockpit. The third was Hana with welts on her back, the fourth was of her naked and glorious as she was now. The last two were of Sasuke, showing the before and after of his transformation.

Tenten raked them all with her eyes. "Something fishy is definitely going on here. People don't just change appearance like that. What's the punchline?"

"Each image is taken just one week apart from the other. The process can be finished in seven days."

"The process for what?" Tenten asked.

"Becoming an Uzu, one of my people."

Tenten shrugged. "I grew up on Karron, I have zero idea what aliens are real and what are scary stories. Enlighten me about the Uzu."

"Ancient, psychic as you know, with technology that makes Konoha Federation military tech obsolete several times over. The schematics for all the devices are stored inside each of our heads, and your own too if you join."

Tenten raised a brow. "So highly advanced alien tech schematics will just appear in my mind?"

"For you to play with and work your magic on. And you'll have a blank check for materials to build all of it, too," Hinata chimed in.

"As part of becoming an Uzu, you'll get what we consider the ideal female body and become a more beautiful version of yourself. All past damage will be cured until you're pristine from a medical standpoint. That scar could be gone as soon as one day into the process, if you want that as a priority," Naruto explained.

Tenten reached up to feel the burn tissue, an old pain in her eyes. "You could just… make this go away? Like it never was? How? Needles? Cybernetics? Psychic voodoo?"

"You're closest with the voodoo. This is the awkward part, which we keep secret from all outsiders," Naruto said solemnly.

"Not like anyone would believe us if we told," Sasuke stated dryly.

"It does defy belief, you have to admit," Hana dithered.

Tenten raised her good eyebrow. "What is it? How does the change work?"

Naruto sighed. "My semen acts as a psychic catalyst. Once it's ingested, I can work my powers directly on that person's body. Three meals a day for a week, give or take, seems enough to transform a Konoha into an Uzu."

Tenten blinked. Then she burst into laughter. "Are…Are you kidding me? All three of you blew him multiple times a day for a whole week?"

"I did it for a whole month," Hinata said nonchalantly.

"It's a surprisingly comforting and rewarding act," Sasuke mused.

"I wouldn't have stopped if I didn't have to start sharing with the other two. They had him first, though," Hana reflected.

Tenten's laughter died out. "Wait, you're serious? If I want to become Tenten Barbie I have to go down on the captain for a whole week?"

"I'm technically the Commander, not the Captain. I retired before I got that promotion." Naruto nodded. "You can see why we're not sure you'll agree to our terms."

"Is there any benefit to kneeling before you besides a hot body, psychic powers, and alien tech implanted in my brain?"

Naruto shared a look with his crew. "Here's the real kicker: eternal youth."

Tenten's jaw dropped. "Say again?"

"Your new body won't age. You'll be a perky 18-year-old forever, unless you die in battle. And for that matter, you'll be expected to engage in combat training. This crew is small, and every member needs to be able to pull their weight in a conflict."

Tenten shook her head. "I'm just going to smile and nod. Any cons besides the obligatory third base action?"

"We'll have a psychic bond that lets us hear each other's thoughts at all times, one you'll be recommended to recreate with the other members of the crew, or wolf pack as we think of it. Your personality will be altered slightly during the transformation. And if we ever run into another Uzu, you'll be expected to put your life on the line alongside the rest of us."

Tenten let out a shaky breath. "So basically the old Tenten has to die for the new Tenten to live?"

Naruto snorted. "You and Hinata are so similar. She described the choice as one between life and death. All the best parts of you will survive, I swear. You'll be the best version of yourself. You'll be a member of the Uzumaki Pack, our Chief Engineer, the one who keeps us armed and armored."

Tenten sighed. "... Okay. I'll do it. But my virginity goes to Sasuke here. No offense, but I want my first time to be my type."

"Done," Naruto said like he wasn't pimping out his Patriarch.

"Do I get a say in this?"

"Popping an Uzu cherry? Why are you complaining, dude?" Naruto questioned.

Sasuke opened and then closed his mouth. "Point taken."

Hana and Hinata burst into simultaneous giggles. "Probably best that she warms up on Sasuke before taking on Naruto, especially for her first time," Hana guffawed.

"True, true. She's not a veteran whore like I was. You seemed to do okay with only two average Konoha men as practice."

"I had a dildo tucked away in my childhood bed that I once thought ruined me for any real man," Hana confessed.

"Not that we ever have to purchase any with Psychic Constructs, but should we go shopping for sex toys on Gravitus? Start building a collection?" Naruto wondered aloud.

Tenten was blushing up a storm. "You're all perverts, aren't you?"

"Pervert, Uzu. Po-tah-to, po-tay-to," Hinata said, waving her hand side to side.

"Let's get you packed in your room. Your first dose can happen whenever you're ready. Take a few days if you have to. Sasuke needs to get undressed out of that suit. Hana, you mind watching the Bridge?"

Hana nodded dutifully. "I was going to do some long-range scans for pirates anyway. I figure I might be able to use my enhanced intellect to back track the local band to their homebase."

"Enhanced intellect?" Tenten asked.

"On top of being a wonderful beauty product, Naruto's cum is a brain booster. We're all close to 200 in IQ. Well, except for Naruto. He likes being the dumb one," Hinata explained.

"Dumb being a relative term," Naruto defended himself. "Tenten, come on."

Gathering her sack of belongings, Tenten followed her childhood friend, and her two boyfriends. "So, you guys are engaged in some free love harem experiment? How long do you expect it to last before it collapses?" She asked somewhat cynically.

"With Psychic empathy and telepathy to smooth over every miscommunication and keep us totally aware of everyone else's needs, hopefully it'll be years before our first major fight. And it can grow as big as it needs to. Though if we grow to over a dozen besides Hinata and myself, that's when it will begin to feel crowded," Naruto reasoned.

Sasuke walked on into the Commander's Quarters to take off the tactical armor suit and store his Rifle, while Naruto and Hinata introduced Tenten to the cabin across from Hana's. Tenten sunk into the bed that was more comfortable than any cot she'd ever slept in.

"Dinner's in a couple hours. You can enjoy it with us or get your first dose then. Totally up to you," Hinata gently encouraged.

"We want you to feel welcome. You did abandon the only home you ever knew for us." Naruto gave his warmest smile. "If you get bored, there's a Holo-reader built into the wall. You can give the old Holonet a browse. We'll see you at dinner."

"Bye," Tenten called, and then Hinata closed her door and she was left alone with her thoughts.

*Think she'll go for it?* Naruto wondered.

*Her dearest wish her whole life has been to be beautiful and useful. You're offering her both. She'll take a while to wrap her mind around it, and then she'll commit 100%. That's just her way,* Hinata deduced.

Naruto and Hinata spent a couple hours preparing for a Sunday Roast with all the fixings. Sasuke joined Hana up on the Bridge, helping her analyze all the data they could find on the local pirates and make sense of it. Tenten had the first and longest shower of her life in her room, standing under the water until the streams stopped running black with soot and filth. She found a 3D model simulator and constructed an approximation of what her Uzu body would look like. She stared at it for a while until there was a knock on her door.

"Hey, it's time for dinner. You ready?"

"Sure." Dressed in fresh rags, Tenten felt very inadequate next to Hana in her designer outfit. "You come from money?"

"Not especially. This is Hinata's outfit, none of my old ones fit me anymore. She says when we get to Alpha Centauri I can get my own wardrobe from L'aiguille de Bijoux on Gravitus. One outfit from there costs more than a year of my old salary. We'll all be able to trade and share, though. One of the advantages of all being the same size."

Tenten nodded absently. "It doesn't bother you? That an alien man's cum has cookie-cuttered you into his ideal form, I mean.

"They didn't tell you how Uzu normally operate. Forget one-on-one attention and care from the Uzu. He just amasses hundreds upon hundreds of unthinking Thralls. And they're all straight. Naruto is bi, and is raising us each up to his own level. I have just as much psychic power now as he does. He's declared war with an Astral Entity just to keep doing things his way instead of the traditional way. He's a good man, and I consider it an honor that I'm as physically appealing to him as possible."

Tenten blinked before blushing. "Wait… the two of them… it's not just for his transformation? The guy I have a crush on took it up the butt from the blonde beefcake?"

"And it was magnificent to watch," Hana breathed. "Now, I hear the Karron diet is mostly protein blocks and questionable stews. Naruto and Hinata have made something with lots of vegetables to fill your stomach if you decide against getting your first dose tonight."

Tenten set her shoulders. "No, I want to… be like you and her. And Sasuke I suppose. Beautiful and belonging to something greater. But… does it hurt?"

"Oral sex, no. There's actually a narcotic in his precum that will knock you out the first couple times. Just suck on the head until you taste syrup and the next thing you know you're waking up in their bed," Hana advised.

"Oh, that's fine then," Tenten huffed. "Here I was worrying about my first blowjob and you're saying I won't even remember it."

They entered the Officer's Lounge, and the aromas of a Japanese hot pot filled the air. Naruto, Hinata, and Sasuke were already seated in their traditional positions.

Naruto looked up and grinned. "Hey, Tenten. Hana tells us you elected for dinner from me. You want to stick around while we eat before it's off to Dreamland?"

"When did she…right, Telepathy. Gods, I can't wait until I can get in on that. Sure, I can chat."

She took her seat next to Sasuke and admired the aromas coming from the central pot placed on a heated stand. "So, Hana's the one who gunned down the Diablos?"

"Yep. Lucky we got out of there before we had to explain it to the authorities, such as they were," Hana said, utilizing chopsticks as easily as knife and fork.

"Georgio was in the pack chasing me, so Hinata owes you one too," Tenten said, scratching her scalp. Hopefully she didn't have lice, she kept her hair shorter than she liked to avoid them.

"Who's Georgio?" Sasuke asked.

"In a way, the man who started all this. He attempted to rape me as an 18th birthday present. It was to avoid him that I snuck onboard the Fool's Gold and met Naruto in the first place. Glad to hear he's chum for the rats, now," Hinata recollected over her wine glass. Naruto had pitched a fit over mixing European wine with Asian cuisine, but Hinata was becoming a bit of a wine connoisseur.

"May he rot in whatever hell takes him," Sasuke growled.

Naruto chuckled. "So protective. So, you and Hana make any progress on the pirates?"

"We've narrowed it down to the right few parsecs, it'll take a bit more sifting or another rescue encounter for us to sniff out the home base." Hana took a bite. "I really want to wipe them out so what happened to me doesn't happen to any other poor soul. I wonder if they have another Oni."

"Unlikely, their system is closer to the Unclaimed Wastes, I was surprised to see one this far into Konoha space. And they're technically sentient, so I don't know how they got one to act like a dumb ape," Naruto mused.

"Feed it pheromones. I remember its eyes were dilated like coins before I blasted its face off," Hinata remembered.

Hana shuddered. "Two foot cock and six hundred pounds of muscle bearing down on you, and you remember its eyes. I say your intellect is more enhanced than the rest of ours."

"Hardly, I'm just more used to it." Hinata turned to Tenten. "We're discussing the pirate attack where Naruto and I first rescued Hana. There was a big dumb red alien called an Oni that raped her crewmates to death. Luckily we showed up in time to kill the pirates and the Oni before they got to Hana."

Tenten nodded. "And Sasuke, what's your story?"

Sasuke sighed. "Not much to tell. Born with genius older brother, frail mother, and emotionally abusive father. Martial arts champion all through my childhood, enrolled in the Academy at 16, second youngest Commander in history, after my brother of course. Led this very ship until a raid where my shoulder got damaged and my arm went numb. Transferred to Olympus Shipyard, worked my way up to Deputy Director, until Naruto and Hinata rolled in like a hurricane and blew my life asunder. And I'll be forever grateful that they did," he added, blowing them both a kiss.

Tenten blinked. "Wow. So, you outranked Naruto?"

"Until the end of his career when he was equal in rank but subordinate to my position. And by a significant margin when we met again at Olympus. I was a Vice Admiral before I retired."

Tenten blinked. "Wow, Vice Admiral. Isn't that like a Duke these days or something?"

"Just about. The Admirals are the royal family and the Fleet Admiral is king. But it's always a bad idea to mix politics and military. I learned it was best just not to play."

Naruto sighed. "I wonder how I'll negotiate my position with High Command, once Tenten builds us an Uzu vessel with all the kit."

"They'll fear you because they can't control you. And they'll try every way, ethical and unethical, to gain it. Hana's family might be held hostage. Cousins you never knew you had will end up in government custody. Itachi could be leading the charge. Unless you single-handedly win the conflict with the Kumo, then they'll be grateful for about one generation."

"What a pessimistic view of High Command, coming from the man most qualified to have an opinion," Hinata mused. "I say we just enthrall an Admiral and promote him or her to Fleet Admiral behind the scenes. Then we have a guaranteed ally in charge of the Konoha Federation."

"Seducing an Admiral for power rather than love rubs me the wrong way. If the K-Fed won't accept us at full power, we'll just leave and never return. I have a friend in the Oto Regency, we could be the new Warning outside Port Geniya."

"The Warning?" Tenten asked.

"Proof that the Oto Regency has devastating laser weaponry. A couple centuries back a trade magnate wanted to push trade further past the border and never believed the Oto would fire on a civilian vessel. Two days later, the burned out husk of the lead Freighter appeared in the system of the most major trade port." Hana shuddered. "I've seen a photo, it's chilling."

"And Uzu Quantum weapons make lasers and kinetics obsolete. They're both at the same time, matter and energy simultaneously," Naruto detailed. "Honestly, I'm not sure whether I want to upgrade the Invictus to Uzu standards or just build the standard Uzu vessel. That's a decision to make with our Chief Engineer, I suppose."

Tenten blushed. "I'll do my best this time next week when they're in my head to look at."

"But to get them, there's something you have to do," Hinata teased musically.

Naruto stood up and took Tenten's hands leading her away from the table and into one of the comfy couches.

"Just suck on the head, just suck on the head," Tenten muttered to herself. Then Naruto opened his pants and her calm went out the window. "Holy fuck, you're massive!"

Naruto shrugged self-consciously. "If he's on this ship, he's hung. If not at first, then by the time we're done with him. If it's any consolation, I'll make you very malleable all over so you can take me without pain. And Sasuke is a bit smaller."

Tenten took a shuddering breath. "Oh, bugger it all," she muttered before chomping down on his head with a little more teeth than Naruto was comfortable with. Then her eyes glazed over and she began to bob with mechanical regularity.

"Her technique could use a lot of work," Sasuke commented from over Naruto's shoulder.

"Give her a break, this is her first sex act period," Hana defended

"There's a good girl. Take him into your snug little throat. Give Naruto's quad a new home for their squirmy contents," Hinata crooned, stroking Tenten's short hair. "You noticed how we all have different hair and eye colors? Blonde and blue, blue and lavender, blue and red, brown and brown. Now black and black. Sakura was pink and green, as I recall. Wonder if the carpets match the drapes."

"If she joins us, she won't have carpets. But let's keep the focus on our current recruit before we go looking for another," Naruto advised his Matriarch.

"For some reason, I have the image of her with panda buns stuck in my head," Sasuke mused.

"She used to tie her hair like that when it was longer. She may do it again. So, any current events besides the Kumo debacle?"

"The Iwa are acting very strangely. I almost want to say there are separatists at work. Random military vessels keep attacking Konoha traffic, but the Republic denies any accountability."

"When it rains, it pours," Naruto groaned as Tenten's lips reached the base of his shaft.

Hana narrowed her eyes. "No, seriously, it is. Pirates rampant in this sector, this FUBAR conflict with the Kumo Empire, the Iwa unable to control their own ships. If someone WANTED to destabilize the Galactic League, they couldn't do a better job than what's going on right now."

"I'm all for seeing patterns that others miss but you're talking about conspiracy theory shit. No one entity could have all the resources to pull all those strings simultaneously," Sasuke argued.

Naruto blinked open his eyes. "Except an Uzu, with a Wormhole Generator to flit around the galaxy and a Cloaking Emitter to hide virtually undetected."

Hinata snapped her head away from looking at Tenten. "You think there's another Uzu at play."

"I don't believe in coincidences, and I do believe in karma. For all this bad juju to go down just as I come into my powers and get into a position to do something about it… a rival Uzu makes as much sense as galactic bad luck."

Sasuke frowned. "Then I guess Tenten getting the schematics has just become priority one."

"We'll do four or five meals a day instead of three, that should shave a day or two off the total. She won't be able to build anything though until we get to Gravitus and can order her equipment. Even watered down Uzu tech would still be an improvement, though." Naruto groaned. "It feels wrong to discuss the fate of the galaxy over a blowjob."

"Then let's stop talking. Relax, enjoy, and fill another teenage belly with your seed," Hana comforted.

Naruto grunted even as Sasuke and Hinata both whispered loving encouragements of their own. Finally, he released his quad's load down Tenten's throat. They carried the comatose young worm girl to their bed, tucking themselves in around her so she was surrounded by the warmth of the Pack.

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**And that's the first arc of Wolves of Uzu done. As always, please fave, follow, or review.**


	14. Chapter 14

**Yay! Over 70 followers and over 100 visitors per each new chapter. I'm aware this story would have been wildly more popular if I'd kept Naruto straight, but I really wanted to experiment in the nigh-unexplored bisexual harem genre. Anyway, enjoy the latest fruits of my madness.**

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Tenten blinked and sat up, smacking her mouth to get the dryness out of it. She felt phenomenal, like she'd just had the best night's sleep in history. All her usual aches and pains were curiously absent.

"Water?" Naruto offered, handing out a glass. He, Sasuke, Hinata, and Hana were arranged around the bedroom, all watching her watching them.

"Thanks," Tenten rasped, taking the glass. She gulped down the water greedily, gasping as a drop landed on her nipple. It was only then that she realized she was naked.

"I take it you all sleep in the nude and figured I'd join in?" Tenten asked dryly.

"We see ourselves as wolves, it's more than just a metaphor. Body heat is the way to go," Sasuke said with a small smile. Tenten felt her heart skip a beat when he looked at her. Sure, Naruto was handsome, but Sasuke was HOT!

"What time is it?"

"0900 Konoha Standard Time, so mid-morning. How do you feel?" Hana asked.

"Fucking awesome, actually." Tenten set the glass down on the bedside table. "So, dose number two time?"

"I like to give each new recruit a chance to back out after the first two doses. The third dose is when the Astral Bond is formed and we're linked together forever. Any second thoughts?"

"I… I want people to look at me the way I look at you now. And the chance to use your ryo chit on some of the tech I've been drooling over for years entices me. And I'm curious if this Uzu tech lives up to the hype. So I say I'm still onboard for Uzuvication," Tenten explained.

Naruto grinned. "Okay. You'll wake up a bit after lunch with a rounded tummy. Consequence of four huge balls, I come a lot."

"There were four? I didn't count last night," Tenten joked, tensing as Naruto reached for the hem of his shorts. "In front of the others?"

"No secrets on this ship, Tenten. Better get used to it," Hinata advised.

Naruto dropped his shorts and stepped out of them, his monolithic prong jutting out proudly.

Tenten gulped. "I've seen smaller fire extinguishers, you know."

"I repeat, you'll stretch where it counts. The other girls all seem to love it when I stretch their holes," Naruto said with a shrug.

"I'm Hinata and I approve that message," the bluenette stated like an old political ad.

"It feels divine, stretching around that big cock… ooh," Hana shivered.

Tenten gulped but crawled forward on the bed to meet Naruto. "Here's my last free pass," she joked, before gumming on the mighty helmet of the penis presented to her.

True to his word, the next thing Tenten knew it was the afternoon, according to the clock set on the wall. Tenten had trouble standing up, her belly swollen like there was a massive tumor in her intestines, aka a baby. It filled Tenten with an odd rush of horniness to see and feel the bump on her normally skeletal frame. She was a virgin, so the thought of babies was miles away. Still, when she pictured a little girl with Sasuke's or even Naruto's eyes, it filled her heart with warmth.

"Good, you're awake. The times are just a guesstimate. Everyone's busy in the Gym so I've been instructed to lead you on a tour of the Invictus if you're interested," Hana said from the doorway. "You can put on this to wear, it's the unofficial uniform for new recruits."

Tenten took the white dress shirt. "No pants? No underwear?"

"Why impede easy access? Seriously, though, we'd all walk around nude if we weren't on guard for a pirate attack any moment. These systems are infested, I've learned the hard way."

Tenten nodded. "They mentioned at dinner, how they rescued you. What happened?"

Hana sighed. "It was just a normal day on the Griffon. I had just finished my shift when we got wind of a distress beacon. I was awoken by the gunfire of the ambush. A cyborg broke into the women's cabin and hauled the three of us over the corpses of our crewmates onto their ship. We were stripped and whipped, then thrown into a pit with the Oni. I had to watch my two female colleagues get raped to death, their wombs crushed, their intestines pierced, their pelvises shattered. And I was helpless to do anything other than be next. The whole time, the pirates cheered it on. This was their idea of fun." Hana smiled slightly. "And then two Uzu arrived to save the day. They rescued me, patched me up, and transported me to Port Heracles. And a couple weeks later, when I thought I was in legal trouble, they came to my rescue again. Now I'll spend the next few millennia making it up to them."

Tenten blinked. "That's not just an expression, you mean that don't you?"

"Every word. That's the thing about immortality, even if you've only had it a couple weeks: it gives perspective. Knowing that there will always be a tomorrow and there's every chance you'll be there to see it for the rest of eternity, you learn to appreciate what you have in the moment." Hana shrugged. "Anyway, time for that tour."

Hana led Tenten on a tour that was heavily based off her own. "You already know the Officer's Lounge, complete with Kitchen and Bar." Decks 3 through 6 passed in a haze, though Tenten seemed to have an orgasm when she came face to face with a military-grade Power Core. When they got to Deck 7, Hana held a finger to her mouth before opening the door to the Gym. They both looked in, and Tenten gasped.

Hinata was floating in a suspended sphere of water, a look of serene calm on her face as she balanced on her back. Naruto was next to her, a focused expression on his face, clearly the one responsible for the water. Sasuke was in the pool beside them, swimming laps with the measured pace of a marathoner.

"What's going on?" Tenten demanded in a whisper.

"Hinata has a slight phobia of the pool. This is an exercise to help her get acclimated. Can't drown if you're not in the pool. Plus it gives Naruto a chance to practice his powers. Sasuke is just getting used to having an athlete's body fifteen years younger than he's used to."

"Wait, Sasuke is older than Naruto? They look the same age!"

"Naruto is actually 40, and Sasuke was 46 before the transformation. Now he's physically 30 and loving it. Naruto just aged well," Hana explained.

Hinata sat up and touched her feet down on the ground. Naruto directed all the water back into the pool without so much as a splash. Naruto cupped her neck and gave her a big kiss. "I'm so proud of you, honey! Soon you'll be swimming laps next to me and Sasuke."

"If you say so. Now, as to our audience," Hinata said, turning to face the door. Tenten and Hana walked up to them, a tad flustered at getting caught peeping. "So, Tenten, isn't it great to have a bulging tummy filled with food?"

"My biology ain't great but I know jizz ain't food," Tenten fired back.

"Uzu jizz is. It's a high-protein feast." Hinata licked her lips. "Naruto has a surprise to show you. I'll borrow Hana. I think I'm ready to play in the shallow end."

"Yay! We'll be like little girls at a summer party," Hana cheered, stripping off her clothes.

Naruto led Tenten out of the Gym and into the hallway. He opened a doorway marked 'Armory' and led Tenten into a magnificently empty room. "Is this where you molest me? Because I think I already consent to that," Tenten joked.

"Cheeky vixen. This is your workshop. Do with it what you will. Fill it with whatever equipment you think will help your projects or the ship and crew. I have a little over 90 million in savings even before we sell this Tyrenium, so money is no object."

"This whole space is mine? I can fill it with anything? You're clowning!"

"I assure you, I am clown-free. I hate clowns, they creep me out." Naruto shuddered.

Tenten jumped up and kissed Naruto before dropping back to the ground. "This is so generous! I'm very grateful."

"Yes, I can tell," Naruto said dazedly. He always took a while to recover from his first kiss with a new crew member. "Back to the tour?"

Tenten found the state-of-the-art machinery of the Medical Bay fascinating, though Naruto was made uncomfortable by all the psychic remnants of violent deaths that haunted the room. Taking a trip two decks down, Naruto showed off first the Docking Bay and the Cargo Bay.

"I really should look into getting a dropship. If Karron hadn't had that Docking Bay we would have been screwed," Naruto mused. Walking to the other Bay with Tenten in tow, Naruto regarded the Tyrenium. "Ah, half a billion ryo, safe and sound."

"Half a billion? For 20 tons? That's 25 million a ton!" Tenten exclaimed.

"Given the amount and the demand, I might be able to drive the price up even higher. We'll go from less than 100 million to over half a billion in fortune. So really, don't worry about the equipment you order for your lab."

"Assuming we get to Olympus without being slaughtered by pirates or eaten by aliens, of course," Tenten pointed out.

"Well, by that point, what equipment you ordered will be moot." Naruto sat down on an ore container. "Now, I believe you need a late lunch. Do you want it from me and bind our souls together for eternity or want to fetch something from the Lounge?"

Tenten set her shoulders. "I made my choice." So saying, she reached out and unbuttoned his pants herself. His towering shaft emerged from within, throbbing and leaking, proving Naruto had been thinking about this for a while now. With a breath like a diver before the leap, Tenten took the head into her mouth.

There was a rush of sweet numbness, but unlike the last two times, her body seemed to fight it. Tenten regained full consciousness just as she slid Naruto into her throat. Her eyes widened with panic.

"You won't choke. Your lungs are altered to absorb oxygen more efficiently. You can hold your breath for minutes at a time. Just relax and let your body do what feels right," Naruto coached, seeing her panic.

Closing her eyes and trusting in her inner goddess, Tenten slid up and down on Naruto's pole, the meaty taste filling her mouth as he nearly made her burst at the seams. Within minutes, she felt him clench his hands and then she felt a rush of warmth in her belly, one that soon overflowed. Tenten withdrew when the twitching stopped, her middle now rounded out like she was due next week with twins. On her emaciated frame, it looked almost comical.

*Congratulations, Tenten. You're a wolf of the Uzumaki Pack. You're going to love it here.*

Tenten startled. "That was Telepathy? It's not like a vid-feed in your head, it's more like our cerebrums touched and shared information!"

"And as you grow and develop bonds with the rest of the crew, you'll be able to have the same level of Telepathy with them as you have with me. Takes an hour to form the bond the old-fashioned way. Otherwise, we can only communicate with mild Telepathy that IS like vid-feed in your head."

Tenten nodded, mind racing. She blinked. "My workshop is right above us isn't it?"

Naruto looked at the ceiling with X-Ray Vision rather than strain his spatial reasoning skills. "Just about, yeah."

"Well I was thinking, why not install a loading ramp so I can move big projects to and from the Cargo Bay? There's plenty of room, it's not like you're usually packed with trade goods as I understand it."

"No, I deal exclusively in Tyrenium for the last couple months. And that's not a space hog. I'll apply for the modification when we make berth at Olympus. Brilliant idea, babe."

Tenten blushed. "You can act as lovey-dovey as you want with me, big man. Just remember I'm banging Sasuke first."

"Fine with me. But I call dibs on your anal virginity."

Tenten blinked before she held up a hand and whipped her finger back and forth. "No. No, no, no, no, no, no. Exit only, buggerer."

"You'll soon change your tune. I could fuck Sasuke while he's fucking you and you can see how happy it makes him."

"My first time will NOT be a threesome."

"You're a hard woman to please," Naruto hummed. "I consider that a challenge."

Tenten smiled before she got woozy.

"You're putting on about fifty pounds in about a week, most of it muscle. Your body is going to need lots of rest. Let's get you into bed." Scooping her up into his arms, Naruto carried Tenten to the elevator, up to Deck 2, and into the Commander's Quarters. He laid her in the middle of that colossal bed, tucking her in like a baby. She was out the moment her head touched the pillow.

Smiling down at her, Naruto turned to the door and snuck quietly out. *Sasuke, what did you and Hana want to show me?*

*Meet me on the Bridge.*

*Are you still in your speedo?*

*That is neither here nor there.*

Naruto took the elevator to the Command Deck where indeed Sasuke was waiting in nothing but swim briefs. Naruto was almost tempted to use Psychic Healing so he could recover and hose down all that tan skin with a layer of SPF Spunk. But Sasuke had something he wanted to tell him so Naruto kept his libido in check.

"What's the big surprise you found out this morning?" Naruto asked, sinking into the Command Chair.

Sasuke pressed a button on his console and a System Map opened up in the air above them. "We found the pirates' base."

Naruto raised a brow. "Walk me through it."

"We started with the long-rang scans, getting every wreck and piece of debris in this sector from Heracles to Karron. The Griffon was assigned to investigate the cause and we both know how that went. Then we checked the black-box data from every transponder that accepts Konoha Federation codes. We worked out their fleet size and from there it was just isolating the patterns of attack and tracing them back to the source: a system named Chendar."

Naruto examined the System. No planets, an asteroid belt, and a couple gas giants. One of them had an abandoned mining facility hovering in the atmosphere like a mosquito poised to suck the precious gas from the planetoid. It had probably been stripped and abandoned when the supply had run out in the first rush of colonization in this sector of the Konoha Federation.

"That mining facility would make an excellent base for a pirate gang," Naruto mused.

"We agreed. Now, to the question: stamp them out ourselves or just report it to the K-Fed and be on our way?"

"... Hana needs closure. Plus, there's something fishy about how a gang grew this large without getting noticed. I know I hate the guy, but it'd be so easy to see Gato selling them data or colluding with them for ryo. The guy rubbed me all kinds of wrong."

"Without hard evidence, we'll never be able to prove it. And he's already going down for terrorizing Hana, adding treason just seems excessive."

"At the moment, he's just facing a dishonorable discharge. If he's a traitor, and my gut says he is, I want him executed. You don't betray pack."

"See, now you're applying Uzu values to Konoha. That's a short road to disappointment."

"You mean my values. Uzu values are a twisted thing."

"You're changing that. This whole crew is living proof." Sasuke slid into Naruto's lap. "You're a good man with good friends who will father good sons. Remember that."

Naruto grinned and kissed Sasuke. *Hinata, you been following along? Come up here and set a course for Chendar.*

"Already here," she said aloud from the elevator. She pranced to her XO Chair and worked her magic. "3.2 days, so dinnertime or thereabouts. Better to fight on an empty stomach or eat early?"

"Definitely eat early, don't want to collapse from hunger during a firefight."

Hana cracked her knuckles. "I'll stay up here and plan the assault. You guys go make dinner or something."

The top triumvirate of the Pack shared looks, before nodding. "Very well. I expect to see you for dinner, Hana."

"I'll be there. I just need to zen out so this is about justice instead of vengeance."

"Fair enough," Sasuke mused.

"We love you and we care about you!" Hinata called as they piled into the elevator.

Sasuke went to change into something that didn't make him look like a male stripper, while Naruto and his best sous chef made pork chops with veggies and mashed potatoes. Tenten awoke around the time they were plating and, true to her words, Hana made it down to eat. They enjoyed the food and conversation, no one mentioning they'd be in a fight for their lives later that week.

"I want that Holo-reader, I need to know the details of the ship's systems if I'm to be Chief Engineer."

"You'll get it tomorrow. Tonight, you have something else to focus on," Hinata said leadingly.

Naruto fed Tenten her dinner and they all retreated to the bedroom for an early night, exhausted by the exertion of the day.

* * *

The next three days passed in a blur. Every four hours from first light to bedtime, Naruto paused what he was doing to feed Tenten. As she bonded with the other girls, Naruto sometimes added the novelty of having one of them "feed" Tenten her meal. An option that wasn't really possible with Sasuke given the crew's universal refusal of ass to mouth when it came to creampies. But the dark and handsome "hunk muffin" as Tenten called him fed Tenten plenty of appetizers and desserts over the few days. Tenten was visibly changing by the day, but the mental blinders of the transformation prevented her from seeing it.

In more mundane news, Tenten spent her days glued to the Holo-reader until she could quote energy ratios in her sleep. Her education culminated in a small ceremony where her console on the Bridge was activated and she was deemed worthy to work it. Hana and Sasuke and Naruto spent hours discussing naval tactics and possible orders of battle, all of which boiled down to hoping they weren't too outnumbered and the pirates didn't have anything bigger than the Invictus. Something bugged Hana about the black-box data. There were a few too many decommissioned Konoha Federation ships in the pirate fleet. Sure, a budding privateer might be able to afford one or two, but over a dozen? Naruto took it as confirmation that Gato was dirty, but Sasuke reminded him he had to have more than that to report the slimy bastard. Hinata mainly focused on keeping everyone's spirits up and being the distraction when someone got too maudlin.

In lighter news, Hinata and Sasuke both crossed the threshold for forming an Astral Bond with Hana, and at the end the pack mind was inclusive of all but Tenten.

Finally, the day of the attack came. Naruto started by giving Tenten a big breakfast. "Thanks stud, see you later," she winked, having matured into quite the vixen over the half week. Fellating the mother of all cocks multiple times a day tends to lend one sexual confidence.

"She hasn't even noticed that the burn is gone, or that her hair brushes her hips. Uzu mental protections are powerful indeed," Sasuke mused.

"Forget that, how long before you fuck her so Naruto can fuck her?" Hinata demanded.

"If we survive this pirate purge, I will pluck her this very evening."

Hana snuggled into Naruto's side. *This is going to be nothing like that skirmish with the Heavy Freighter. It'll be us up against an entire fleet. A ragtag fleet, crewed by untrained, undisciplined pirates, but still. All it takes is one good shot after the shields fall for it all to be over.*

*You know the solution to that, don't you?* Naruto coaxed.

*No, what?*

*Don't let the shields go down. Which means you don't miss a shot and Hinata pulls off her best piloting. We're Uzu. In an old-fashioned Konoha Federation Cruiser, but still Uzu. Without going all arrogant, we are superior to those pirates. We're stronger, smarter, faster, better. This will be a piece a cake so long as we keep confidence and don't lose our cool.* Naruto paused in his speech. *And now I'm going to ruin a beautiful moment.*

He farted.

Hinata burst into laughing tears as Sasuke rolled his eyes and Hana rolled far away from the Alpha.

"Sorry, it's the beans from last night. Last time I make chili for a while, I swear."

They all enjoyed a long shower before getting dressed in tactical clothes. Tenten, still having rounded ears, was a non-combatant in this fight. But she would be on the Bridge during the conflict, controlling the shields and energy outputs for all the other systems. The four full members of the pack had a big breakfast before one and all going to the Bridge, Naruto with his armor tucked under one arm and Hinata carrying both XR73 Rifles.

Tenten acknowledged them with a wave, her head remaining buried in the Holo-reader. She was browsing the Engineers' Almanac 2780 for machines to order once they were at Olympus and past all this. Having learned firsthand the destructive potential locked in the Invictus's body, the Karron girl found it hard to take the threat of a few pirates seriously.

The crew all waited tensely, conversation reserved for the mind, watching their progress towards Chendar. Around 1100, their progress was interrupted by a blaring alarm.

"That's a distress beacon!" Hana called out.

"Our luck is crazy, we're right on top of this one too. ETA two minutes." Hinata clutched her joystick as she altered their course.

"The Freighter Calypso has been disabled and is being boarded by an unknown ship, one of four," Sasuke summarized.

"Shields up," Tenten reported dutifully.

"Weapons hot," Hana stated, pressing the red button on her joystick.

"Try to hail the Freighter," Naruto commanded.

Calara flicked a switch that replaced the Tactical Map with the System Map. The details on the four ships with inactive transponders became clearer the closer the sensors on the Invictus got to them. A Freighter hung lifeless, its engines destroyed, a sleek Corvette drawn up beside it on the airlock.

Hana's jaw dropped. "Those three-legged sons of one-eyed bitches! That's the Griffon! They stole my old ship!"

"Can you be sure without the transponder code, Hana?" Naruto asked to confirm.

"Positive! It's a Marlin class Corvette with upgraded rear stabilizers! That's what Commander Jericho came to Heracles for in the first place. I thanked those stabilizers every night for getting me away from Gato."

Before anyone could respond to that startling information, the screen came alive with the image of a middle-aged woman.

"We're being boarded!" She screamed as gunfire and screams went off in the background. "Please help us!"

"This is Commander Uzumaki Naruto of the Assault Cruiser Invictus. We'll be with you in one minute. Just try to hold out until then," Naruto ordered, not unkindly.

The line went dead before she could respond.

The three remaining ships, two battered looking Lexon class Frigates and a blunt nosed Corvette, were providing cover for their pirate colleagues who were performing the boarding action. The pirate vessels had picked up the incoming Assault Cruiser on their scanners, and the worn looking ships were turning to engage.

Tenten watched the unfolding engagement with awe, the pivoting pirate craft looking menacing as they turned in their direction, with many weapon barrels being brought to bear. On the other side of the holographic map, the Invictus surged forward with deadly purpose, looking like a sinister predator as it descended on the smaller vessels.

"Thirty seconds until we're in range!" Hinata announced.

"Lieutenant take them out fast, so we can save the Freighter!" Naruto urged.

Hana's eyes narrowed in concentration, as she focused on the holographic targeting matrix floating in front of her face. "Yes, Sir!" she responded grimly.

It happened so quick you almost needed Psychic Speed to see it. The instant the Frigates were in range, Hana fired the Beams, three per vessel, sizzling out their shields and carving thick furrows in their armor. She followed up with the Mass Drivers, the whole Bridge shuddering as the massive magnetic rails accelerated their shells to hyperwarp. One Frigate exploded in a fiery wreck, while the other suffered an explosive depressurization as the shell pierced the Cockpit. Hinata twisted the ship so the top deck faced the Corvette, and Hana let loose with Laser Cannons and Gatling Lasers. The meager shields flickered out after two seconds and one well-aimed shot of a Laser Cannon pierced the Power Core, sending the blunt nosed Corvette up in smoke.

"Targets neutralized, Commander," Hana reported.

"Holy shit!" Tenten exclaimed.

"The result of a crew of geniuses that can coordinate at the speed of thought. You'll join the pack mind one day, love," Sasuke consoled her.

Naruto was already shrugging into his Kevlar bodysuit with ceramic plating. "Hinata, line us up with the Griffon, we're rescuing the Calypso. Then suit up and grab your gun at speed. I expect you to join me when the elevator gets here,"

"Yes, Alpha," Hinata said without thinking, using pack terminology rather than K-Fed. She maneuvered the Invictus with a dancer's grace to lock airlocks with the commandeered Corvette. Then she used Psychic Speed to change into the very armor Naruto had 'requisitioned' for her from Hana's old ship. Grabbing her XR73 Rifle, she joined Naruto in the elevator.

"Sasuke, the Conn is yours. Keep an eye out for reinforcements. I'll keep in touch through the pack mind."

*Be safe,* Sasuke projected as the elevator doors closed.

*As I have to be,* Naruto replied, which did not inspire confidence in the former Vice Admiral.

*Relax, Sasuke. He's got me watching his ass. I'll die before I let him die.*

*Let's not joke,* Naruto grumbled.

*Who's joking?*

The elevator opened up on Deck 9, the airlock right in front of them.

*You know if there was a boarding action and we didn't get here first, we'd be fish in a barrel.* Hinata thought uncomfortably.

*I'll see what I can do at Olympus. Now, to stop those pirates.* They opened the Invictus's airlock to find the Griffon's closed. Before attaching the chrome device that would open the door, Naruto took a brief Spirit-Walk to scout ahead. *They never learn, they left no men behind. Idiots probably don't even know we're here.* With a brief use of the hacking device, they were in.

After a month in the hands of pirates, the Griffon had clearly seen better days. Naruto and Hinata glided through with Psychic Speed to the other airlock, which was open into the Calypso. Taking a second to pull up a schematic of this model of Freighter on his forearm screen, Naruto led Hinata into the Freighter.

They moved fluidly as a single unit, covering each other's backs at each intersection, following the sounds of conflict echoing off the walls.

*I hear voices to the right. I'll go high, you go low,* Naruto instructed his Matriarch before going down the corridor in question.

They walked quietly down the corridor, seeing an open doorway to the side, sounds of talking getting louder.

"It seems like such a waste," a voice said, as it drifted into the corridor.

"I know, but that's what the Captain ordered," a gruff voice said in return.

"They wouldn't mind if we had a go first would they?" the first voice said lecherously, followed by the sounds of female voices sobbing in despair.

"How would they know?" the gruff voice chuckled evilly.

Naruto snarled under his breath. *Take the left,* he ordered before kicking the door open and firing at the pirate and would-be rapist on the right. He and his companion were down before they even knew there was a threat.

"Oh, thank you! They were going to rape us!" One of the kneeling women sobbed.

"Take their pistols and barricade the door. There are still pirates aboard and we need to take them out," Naruto ordered in a no-nonsense tone.

One of the women blinked. "Y-you can't leave us! You have to protect us!"

"Relax. The next people to come through this door will be your men," Hinata comforted before rejoining Naruto in his crouch-crawl through the Calypso.

They could still hear the sounds of a gunfight around the corner to their right, and after quickly checking the other corridors, they moved to follow the sounds again. A set of double doors was wide open, and the flash of gunfire could be seen coming from in the room. Naruto darted silently across to the other side of the door, so that both he and Hinata could get into position on either side of the doorway. He glanced into the room and saw that the Freighter crew were in a dire situation.

"Surrender and we'll spare your lives," a hulking pirate barked, his voice sounding harsh and strangely metallic. The pirate boss, and around a dozen of his men, were spread out behind overturned tables in what used to be the ship's mess. They were armed with a variety of pistols and rifles, and were shooting at the kitchen sporadically.

"Fuck you, slaver!" came the reply from the far side of the room, where two men were huddled behind the kitchen unit, firing wildly with their pistols. Blood was sprayed over one side of the kitchen, and John could see a body on the floor to their side. He spotted a door behind the brave freighter crewmen, and terrified faces peeked around the corner, watching the exchange.

*There's a lot of them. Psychic Speed and work your way from the right. No trick shots, brain, heart or lungs and done. I'll work from the left. We should meet at the cyborg. Could have sworn I killed him last time. Must have subdermal armor over his heart.*

*Yes, Commander. I'll go for his kidneys this time while you try his skull. Hopefully we don't need to have brought armor piercing instead of hollow-point.*

With a nod, Naruto and Hinata both shifted into a higher realm of speed fueled by psionic energy. Then they threw open the doors and began to mow down the pirates at full-auto, which was more like single-shot at Psychic Speed. They cut down half a dozen men each before converging on the hulking cyborg. As promised, Hinata went for his kidneys while Naruto went for the forehead.

Blood sprayed out of his back at the kidney shots, but the bullets shattered against a steel plate hidden under the cranium. The cyborg arched his back and roared. Seeing the opportunity, Hinata dashed forward and, with Herculean strength, twisted his head 180°.

One of the men behind the counter fired blind.

"Cease fire, cease fire! Commander Uzumaki Naruto of the Invictus. We responded to your distress signal!" Naruto shouted.

The brown-haired woman from earlier stepped forward, a makeshift trauma bandage on her left arm. "Commander! Oh thank you sir, you saved us all!"

"Just doing my job, ma'am. We rescued a group of women being held hostage about two corridors over. They should be barricading the door."

"Oh, thank fuck. I'm going to go kiss my wife," one of the defenders said, taking off for the women.

"We are in your debt, Commander Uzumaki."

Naruto held up his hands, his Rifle hanging by its strap. "Really, my crew and I were just passing along. We weren't going to just ignore you."

"Does your crew have a name?" The leader of the Freighter crew asked.

"The Uzumaki Pack," Hinata answered for him.

"Then we'll tell any sumbitch that will listen about the Uzumaki Pack and their valor today," the woman swore.

*Just smile and nod, Alpha. Smile and nod,* Hinata coached.

* * *

**I hear that last line in my head in the voice of the Penguins of Madagascar. Not much sex but plenty of combat, same for the next chapter. Chapter 16 will start with a good steamy sex scene, don't worry.**


	15. Chapter 15

**Extra long chapter today, and sadly the last of the chapters I had saved up. Updates will now be weekly, give or take. I hope no one got spoiled by the rapid pace. Please enjoy.**

* * *

"We should return to the Invictus. Do you need assistance?" Naruto asked the Freighter commander.

"Our engines were blown out, but we can wait for assistance from Port Heracles. They responded to our distress beacon but said they'd not be here for two hours. We never would have survived that long without you!"

Naruto grinned. "We'll return to the Invictus and cover you until help arrives. What we were going towards will keep."

*You're going to be very proud of me,* Tenten projected into his head as Naruto and Hinata walked a hero's retreat out of the Calypso and into the Griffon and back into the Invictus.

*I'm always proud of you. Why this time in particular?*

*I hacked the transponders for the pirate ships! With their black-box data and pings, we have the specs of the entire fleet. There's good news and bad news but this is very useful, right?*

*You kidding, it's bloody fantastic! For our first time you're going to have trouble walking the next day.*

*Sasuke first, no threesomes. These are my terms.*

*And I'll respect them. I'm just saying… beast sex. Now since when can you crack military-grade encryption?*

*I dabbled back on Karron. And over the past few days, everything just seems easier to do. It was a breeze, really.*

*Tenten is sitting here like the damn cat that caught the canary. Can you get up here so we can join in the surprise?* Sasuke projected.

Naruto and Hinata took the elevator up to the Bridge. When they stepped out, Hana gave them both a surprise hug and kiss. "15 pirates from the gang that attacked me, all dead because of you. Including the sadistic cyborg that whipped me. The crew of the Griffon can rest in peace now. Now what's got Tenten tickled pink?"

"While we were waiting around for these two to clean up the trash, I wrote a little algorithm to crack the pirates' transponders. We now know how many ships they have and what kind!" Tenten announced.

Sasuke's jaw dropped, an act equivalent to a lesser man screeching. "No way. That's invaluable. Highly illegal, but we're independent Consultants, not Navy."

"What's the bad news?" Hinata asked, recognizing the look on her friend's face.

Tenten swiped a screen and a bevy of holograms filled the air. "Counting the vessels we destroyed in this attack, they still have twenty ex-Navy ships. And the Captain of the merry band is in a Heavy Cruiser called the Stalingrad."

Naruto, Sasuke, and Hana's faces crumbled in shock. "Impossible. I don't care if they were raiding freaking Tyrenium from passerby, there's no way a pirate could have gotten his hands on a Heavy Cruiser!" Sasuke ranted.

"Depends on if he had help. Use your access codes, look up the purchaser and who authorized each sale for this mini-fleet," Naruto ordered.

Sasuke furiously typed at his console for a few minutes. "The ships were all purchased by one Momochi Zabuza at price before each ship officially went to auction. And the man who signed off on it all… Gato. You were right, Naruto."

"I can't believe that filthy traitor wanted to get into my pants. He's armed a pirate armada! How much could he possibly be getting paid?" Hana demanded

"If I know Gato after five minutes with him, not as much as he should have. The slime seemed the type to take what he could get so long as he didn't have to stick out his neck. Even if it meant giving Mr Momochi the Stalingrad."

Hinata sighed. "I'm not Navy. I'm guessing Heavy Cruiser beats Assault Cruiser?"

"They're half again as big, have more Beams, Heavy Cannons rather than Laser Cannons, and are built to take a pounding." Naruto summarized.

"But based on what I'm reading on the pitch and yaw, this one in particular is slow as a snail at taking turns. If we can get in its blind spot, we should have a chance," Tenten argued, trying to brighten the crew's mood.

"Sure, get in its blind spot. After fighting 19 picket ships and surviving its broadside." Sasuke shook his head. "This is turning into the kind of op they award medals for, posthumously or otherwise. I say we call for backup. It's suicide for us to do this on our own."

"I'm all for that. But also consider: they're pirates, not hardened military. If we kill enough of them fast enough, that should demoralize the rest into surrendering or fleeing. It sticks in my craw to let some of these scum escape, but I'll take that if it means winning the battle," Naruto argued.

"So, what's the plan, Commander?" Hana asked, looking to Naruto.

Naruto steepled his fingers. "... We wait for the backup from Port Heracles to arrive. We report all we found to the man in charge. If he volunteers to help us, great. But one way or another, we're going to Chendar. I trust this crew to make it through this."

It was a tense couple hours. They broke briefly for lunch, and Tenten experienced her first somber blowjob. Then it was back to the Bridge, waiting for the reinforcements from Port Heracles to arrive. They tried talking, but all topics eventually led back to their epic clash that upcoming evening. Finally, the long-range scanners picked up something.

"Reads as a group of Konoha Federation vessels. A Cruiser and three Destroyers. Not much but better than nothing," Hana declared.

"Assuming all of them come with us. At least one has to stay to watch the Calypso," Sasuke reasoned.

"Commander, we're being hailed," Hinata stated as the ships entered the system.

Naruto opened a channel and was met with a distinguished gentleman with greying temples and wearing his tan Konoha Federation jacket. "This is Captain Flintlock on the Indomitable, please identify yourself Assault Cruiser."

"Commander Uzumaki Naruto on the Invictus. It's good to see you, Captain."

"The distress beacon reported a pirate attack. What happened to the pirates?"

"My crew happened. We took out two Frigates and a Corvette and aided in repelling a boarding action from another Corvette. All decommissioned Navy vessels."

"Sounds like we're very lucky you stopped by, Commander." Flintlock's brow furrowed. "But, the computer has you pinged as a civilian vessel?"

"Tell me, Captain, have you heard of the Consultants?"

"Ah, I read ya. Special Ops' little loopholes. If it walks like a civvie and quacks like a civvie then it must be a civvie. Seems like you're keeping in top form."

"And we're about to take on an even bigger fish. We stumbled onto something big, and I was hoping you and your men could help us with it. If not, that's up to you, but just know my team is going through with it with or without you." Naruto clicked his teeth.

Flintlock crossed his arms. "I'm listening, Commander."

"My team managed to hack the surviving Corvette and the blocked transponders. We have the order of battle for the pirates plaguing this sector, and we've tracked down their base."

"And you want our help cleaning them up. Sounds simple enough. What they got, another dozen Frigates and Corvettes?"

"And a few Destroyers and a Heavy Cruiser for the coup de grace," Naruto said calmly.

Flintlock sputtered. "A Heavy Cruiser? Preposterous!"

"Here's where it gets interesting. According to the auction yard records at Port Heracles, all these ships were bought by the same buyer in a full buyout. And each transaction was overseen by Commander Gato himself." Naruto raised his brow. "I've met the weasel. When's the last time he got personally involved in the decommissioning side of things?"

"It paints a damning picture, I'll give you that. Certainly enough to get a warrant. I'll send orders to Heracles to have Gato quietly detained. But that still leaves us with almost two dozen pirate vessels loose in this sector!"

"Hence my plan. We both head for the Chendar system. The Invictus will go in first and go in dark. We'll coast and gather intel with passive scans. Then you arrive and kick the beehive in, and we appear like a trapdoor spider in their midst. Between the two of us, we should be able to handle the fleet with shock and awe tactics. I'm fine with letting you get all the credit, naturally. After all, we're just a crew of passing civilians," Naruto said drolly.

Flintlock burst into laughter. "You're smooth, kid. And you've got balls to spare. That's a potent combination. All right. I'll leave my Destroyers with the Freighter and give you a 15 minute head start into this Chendar system. It'll be the stuff they make propos about, two intrepid Cruisers against the evil pirate armada! And we'll share the credit, don't worry. I see my men get the respect they are due."

"Very well, Captain Flintlock. My navigator is sending over the proposed route. She has a novel warp tunneling technique, so just trust the travel time the computer gives you and don't deviate. See you in Chendar." With a nod of respect, Naruto closed the comm chanel.

"I am so hot for you right now. Talking, standing your ground against a man who outranks you… it's scintillating," Hinata shivered.

"Glad I got your juices flowing. Now get us back on route for Chendar after you send the route to them."

Hinata glided the Invictus towards the Nav Beacon, the Indomitable trailing nowhere near as gracefully behind her. With a flash of blue, a tachyon wave was generated that carried them into superluminal speeds.

Tenten eyed the energy graphs for the Tachyon Drive and Power Core. "You know, I might be able to make us go faster."

"Let's not risk it today. Besides, we want energy levels down, not spiking. I want us down to life support the second we exit hyperwarp," Naruto instructed.

"ETA 2 hours. With any luck, we'll catch them all together with their pants down. The Indomitable has a similar loadout, but they don't have Hana. The two of us should be able to take down the armada without reaching red on the shields." Hinata sighed. "Dinner?"

"Might as well. Though I for one just feel like soup and salad," Sasuke sighed. "I say again, this is the kind of op that gets you fired or wins you a Nova Burst. Three conflicts in a week, we weren't that active back in the Invictus's hayday!"

"I could use one of those. Would give me something to brag to my family about," Hana joked.

"I'm still digesting lunch. I'll stay up here and keep an eye on things," Tenten offered.

The full Uzu members of the crew had a hurried and understated dinner. They returned to the Bridge within the hour, fueled for anything. Then it was just a waiting game as the Invictus rushed inexorably toward Chendar.

The Invictus jumped into the outskirts of the Chendar system and left hyperwarp. They could see nothing on the long range scans but they put all systems on low power except for the engines. Hinata brought them in closer towards the long deep asteroid belts that orbited the star, and reduced engine power as they approached.

Thousands of huge rocky asteroids spun and drifted slowly in the field, all that remained of two planetary bodies that had collided millennia ago. Ramming any of these moving hazards could prove fatal to the Invictus with the shields down, even with the thick armour plating protecting the hull. Hinata was confident however and she guided the Assault Cruiser through the asteroid belt with an agility that one would have thought impossible in a ship that size. Tenten watched in alarm as they seemed to swing perilously close to vast asteroids, but their skilled navigator never wavered and the enormous hunks of rock sailed past harmlessly. She eventually brought them to a stop in an impact crater on a behemoth of an asteroid that spun lazily at the edge of the belt.

"Excellent job, honey," Naruto said to Hinata, impressed by her skills. She smiled back at him proudly.

"OK Hana, passive scans only, what can you see?" he asked the eager Lieutenant.

The brunette brought up the tactical map of the Chendar system, showing the Gas Mining Facility looking like some kind of bloated red arachnid in the centre of the map. The Invictus was lurking in the bottom right corner, the graphical representation of the Assault Cruiser partially obscured by the asteroid belt. The rest of the map began to populate, as more information came back from the passive scans.

There were three groups of picket ships moving in lazy loops around the outskirts of the pirates base. Five more ships were docked at the base itself and a group of seven were heading out of the system, on a path that would take them fairly near the Invictus' current location in the asteroid belt. All the ships had deactivated transponders, so the identity of each vessel remained hidden.

"Let me fix that," Tenten said, typing up a storm on her console. Her algorithm launched and within a minute the transponders came uncloaked and the exact configuration of the pirate fleet became clear on the Tactical Map.

"Excellent work Tenten!" Naruto said enthusiastically. At a stroke she had eliminated a huge element of the unknown and it would make their planning for the rest of the battle incomparably easier.

The picket groups each consisted of a Frigate with two Corvettes and the outbound ships were a Destroyer , two Frigates and four Corvettes. The final group docked at the Gas mining facility was the Heavy Cruiser, a Destroyer and two Corvettes.

"I thought there were only supposed to be twenty ships? What's that?" Hinata asked, pointing at a mystery vessel that was docked alongside the Heavy Cruiser.

"I can't hack that code," Tenten admitted.

"It's big, whatever it is," Hana replied, looking at the mass readings for the unknown craft.

"That means it's probably alien. Most likely whoever bought the slaves from the pirates," Sasuke reasoned.

"We'll let the Indomitable take that group that's leaving. We'll go for the three picket groups and reconvene on the Gas Mining Facility. We'll have to be careful to neutralize the Stalingrad without destroying it, we can't be sure they've finished loading all the slaves into that alien ship," Naruto ordered.

As if on cue, the Indomitable appeared in the system at full speed. Naruto hit a button and broke the Invictus's cover by sending out a comm signal.

"Yes, Commander?" Flintlock asked, appearing over the Bridge.

"We've hacked their transponders, sending you the data now. Take that group of seven you're about to run into, we'll handle the picket groups. We'll meet up at the Heavy Cruiser."

"You just saved me a few minutes of active scans. Good luck and godspeed, Uzumaki."

"You as well, Flintlock," Naruto replied before closing the comm channel. While he'd been talking to the Captain, Tenten had powered up the ship. Hinata raced with full speed for the closest picket groups even as the System Map began to fill with Laser fire from the Indomitable confronting the group of seven that had been on the way out.

"Might as well follow protocol," Sasuke said, flicking a switch. "Attention, pirates of Chendar. This is the Assault Cruiser Invictus, accompanied by the Cruiser Indomitable. Power down and surrender and you may face prison time instead of certain death. You have been warned."

"Always nice to offer," Hana muttered, her eyes locked on the targeting matrix. It felt horribly clunky compared to the Uzu equivalent in her head, but it was what she had to work with.

Hinata swerved the ship to face the first picket group. "Have at them, Hana," Hinata encouraged.

In a similar way to their first attack with the Freighter last week, Hana gutted the Frigate like a skilled fishwife before going for the Corvettes. When they exploded, chewed up by Laser Cannon fire, Hana returned to finish off the Frigate. The whole thing took less than fifteen seconds.

"One down, two to go," Hana counted, Hinata already moving the Invictus for the next group.

"How's the Indomitable?" Naruto asked.

"Holding their own," Sasuke answered, his Uchiha eyes tracking the whole System Map. "The Heavy Cruiser and its picket ships are starting to move. We better hurry before they get the chance to run. I'm going to run an active scan on that mystery ship once we're in range, something's bothering me."

"Wondering who has the means to pay for all these ships and would be interested in human slaves? Yeah, that's bugging me too." Naruto focused on the second picket group they had already reached. "Hana, baby, do your thing."

"With pleasure," Hana growled as she unleashed the full might of the Invictus on the hapless pirates. They were obliterated in seconds, though they managed to get off some shots before going down.

"Shields at 93%" Tenten reported.

"We'll recharge in twenty seconds," Sasuke said reviewing his console.

"Which is how long I need to reach that third picket group," Hinata said. She turned the Invictus after the group that was turning to flee the system. As they neared the Invictus's range, Hana was about to attack when they were hailed.

"They're powering down," Hinata announced.

Naruto accepted the comm request. "Don't waste my time, pirates," he snarled.

"We surrender! Mercy!" Cried out a scared pirate that appeared above them.

"I doubt you'd show the same courtesy, but that's the difference between us. Power down and remain immobile until we contact you after killing your Captain. If you hit us in the back, I will end you." Naruto's face could have been carved from stone.

"Done!" The captain of the Frigate agreed.

Naruto cut the channel. "Hinata, make for the Mining Facility. Sasuke, watch our six. Hana, get ready to attack the Stalingrad. Tenten, full power to engines and shields."

"The Indomitable is finished with their fight. Shields in the mid-forties. Want me to hail them?" Sasuke asked.

"Please do." Naruto waited until his button lit up before pressing it. Captain Flintlock appeared above the tactical holograms. "Captain, seems we had the easy job."

"That's a fight we won't soon forget. I notice you left the last group alive," the middle-aged Captain observed.

"They surrendered, figured I'd give them a chance to honor their word."

"Couldn't pay me to turn my back on a pirate," Flintlock said gruffly.

"Being noble only counts when you do it even when it isn't easy," Naruto defended. "Now, we'll take point on the Stalingrad, you provide support while your shields recharge. Between the two of us, we should take them down easy -"

"Motherfuckers!" Sasuke exclaimed.

Flintlock jumped. "What's that?"

"My Chief of Staff. Sasuke, what the hell?" Naruto demanded.

"That mystery vessel? It's a fucking Nuke Hive ship!" Sasuke told both leaders.

"Those monsters! How could they?" Naruto gaped.

"I completely agree with your Chief's sentiment," Flintlock growled.

*Someone want to tell me who or what the Nuke are?* Hinata asked the pack mind.

"Nuke are parasitic insects that are kill-on-sight across the entire Galactic League," Hana whispered for Tenten and Hinata's benefit. "They implant their eggs in other species and the grubs eat their way out of the host. They're strong, they're numerous, they have Neutron weapons that sting like hell. They're a living plague on the galaxy. They must be paying this Momochi Zabuza a fortune to have him trading slaves to them!"

"Commander. The Stalingrad and the Hive ship are on separate escape vectors. Scans show over 400 Konoha life signatures aboard the Hive ship. Orders?" Hinata reported after processing the situation.

Naruto grit his teeth. "Change of plans, Flintlock. We can let the Stalingrad go if we must but we CANNOT allow the Nuke to get away with those hostages. You've seen the footage of what happens on a Hive ship. We disable the ship and then lead a boarding action."

"Sounds like a plan. I'll let you attack first while our shields recuperate. Good luck with those Neutron Beams!"

"Yes, Captain. Over and out." Naruto closed the channel and grit his teeth. "Sasuke, keep scanning the Hive ship, pull schematics from K-Fed files, give Hana all the information she can get. Hana, I want that ship immobile and toothless before they make it halfway out the gravity well. Hinata, make her soar."

Hinata turned the ship and made for the Hive ship, an ugly brown monstrosity that resembled a giant tick. It and and Stalingrad were hauling ass away from the Gas Mining Facility. "They'll be able to hit hyperwarp in three minutes," Hinata growled.

"How long until we're in range?"

"Two minutes."

"I wouldn't be so sure. Permission to do something risky, Commander?" Tenten asked.

"Do it, Chief," Naruto ordered, trusting in Tenten.

Tenten hit a few buttons and swiped her console screen. With a shudder, the Invictus seemed to jump and double in speed.

"Jesus, what did you do to my ship?" Sasuke demanded.

"Disabled the safeties on the engines. They won't explode if we do it for less than a minute. We should intercept the Hive ship in thirty seconds now." Tenten grinned.

"Tenten, you are the shit. You are the gods-damned shit," Hinata said with a predatory grin, bearing down on the Hive ship.

Hana's eyes were already looking for weak points to target. "Most of their firing arcs don't cover the bottom of their ship. We could hide there."

"It's armored in its own way. The holding cells are on the bottom of a Hive ship. One stray shot after the shields go down and innocent lives are lost," Sasuke advised. He noticed something. "The third picket group is rendezvousing with the Stalingrad."

"That's what you get for trusting pirates. Can't worry about that now," Naruto muttered.

Tenten reengaged the safeties the second they hit the edge of Beam Laser range. Hana fired the full force of the Invictus's strongest lasers, the red beams hitting the Nuke's shields and harmlessly dissipating. The insectoid vessel returned with sickly corruscating green beams. Hinata jerked the Invictus out of the way like a fighter dodging a blow. Hana waited impatiently for the cooldown period before firing the Beams again, aided by the twelve forward-facing Laser Cannons. The shields sizzled before collapsing, the last of the beams scratching the engines.

"Firing main guns!" Hana announced, unloading the Mass Drivers. The shells hit one engine like a bull's-eye, making it explode and begin to smoke. The Hive ship fired their Neutron Beams again. This time, Hinata couldn't dodge and the Invictus had to weather the barrage.

"Shields at 76%. Three more of those and we're naked," Tenten said worriedly.

"They won't get off one more," Hana stated, her eyes noting an area marked in red on the data Sasuke had fed her targeting matrix. Firing the Beams for a third time, Hana carved a furrow on the rear of the Hive ship. There was a surprisingly big explosion, and half the ship seemed to go dark.

"Nice job, hitting that Power Regulator," Sasuke praised.

Tenten's eyes drifted to the Stalingrad and made a few calculations. "Momochi just fled the system. I calculated his exit vector though and we should be able to track him close enough after we're done with the Nuke."

"Brilliant, honey. Now, Hana, take out their engines."

"Yes, Commander," Hana replied before beginning to pepper the Hive ship's engines with Laser Cannon fire.

Hinata noticed something on the map. "They've launched dropships."

Naruto shivered a little at the thought of Nuke on his ship. "Take them out but leave one. We can repel the attack and use the dropship as a Trojan horse to clear out the Docking Bay when we board. We needed a dropship anyway."

"Great plan. Hinata, turn the top deck towards them after this next round of Beams. That will take out two of them and leave the third for you and Naruto," Hana instructed.

Hinata performed the maneuver before standing up from her Chair and grabbing her XR73 Rifle. "I always enjoyed squashing bugs. What do Nuke look like?"

"Giant mix of preying mantis, ant, and centipede. They have disturbingly expressive faces. Aim for the head or the thorax. We'll need to fetch AP ammo, they have armored carapaces." Naruto stepped into the elevator. "I know we'll be using Psychic Speed, but be careful. They can be fast and some have natural poison."

*I will,* Hinata assured him. The elevator opened to the airlock on Deck 9 after a quick detour to the closet for ammo, just as the light turned green indicating another ship had docked.

*Random question, why the hell would they design their airlocks to match up with a K-Fed door?*

*The whole Galactic League follows a similar protocol for airlock design. The Nuke have boarded enough ships over the centuries to adapt. They're sentient. A hive mind, but sentient.*

*Hive mind like the pack mind or hive mind like a bunch of drones obeying the queen?*

*Option B. Now, let's get the walls messy.*

Naruto depressed the button to open the airlock with Telekinesis. The door swooshed open and a charging Nuke almost slammed face-first into the elevator door between them. It looked up with shock only to have Hinata unload a bullet in its brain.

Naruto sped up psychically and began to shoot into the interior of the Nuke dropship, which had almost a dozen Nuke Shock Troops clutching Neutron Rifles. They were all dead before they could aim or fire once Hinata joined in the massacre, including the pilot who turned to run.

"You can fly this thing, right?"

"With Psychic Translation and remnants to guide me, I can fly anything. I might choke on the stink of bug blood, but I'll fly this into the Docking Bay."

"See you there, beautiful." Naruto kissed her before she entered the dropship and pressed a button to seal the airlock. Naruto walked over to the door to the Docking Bay. He used his sleeve computer to interface with the Invictus and open the Docking Bay doors while keeping the atmospheric force field up so Naruto didn't get sucked into the vacuum of space. A tense few minutes and then the Nuke dropship flew into the Docking Bay with an elegance that was pure Hinata. She set it down and the loading ramp on the rear drooled down.

"Come help me haul out these corpses, we don't need to be tripping over bugs when we're storming the Hive ship," Hinata requested. Naruto joined her and made quick work of hauling out the brain-gored bodies of the six-limbed creatures. They were hauled into a pile with their weapons next to them.

*Might not be Uzu tech but Tenten will still have fun playing with them.*

*She might not be able to walk tomorrow after Sasuke and I are done with her tonight. But that's for later.* Naruto tapped his wrist communicator. *Sasuke, patch me through to the Indomitable.*

*Done.* With that, a hologram of Flintlock appeared over Naruto's wrist.

"Commander. Sorry you had to take on the Hive ship single-handed, but we're in position and will support you if any reinforcements arrive. Gutsy move disengaging the safeties. You must have a top-notch Chief Engineer to try a move that."

"I recruit the best and raise them to be better. Now, my team has acquired a Nuke dropship after an attempted boarding. Me and my XO will go in and clear out the Docking Bay of troops so your own dropships can come in. We'll rescue the hostages, transfer them to the Indomitable, and then the Invictus can chase after Momochi."

"You already traced their path? What kind of computers are you rocking in that old Cruiser?" Flintlock asked surprised.

"Standard, I just have a math whiz or two on my crew." Naruto grinned. "Your troops ready to fight off a Nuke Hive?"

"My Marines are baying for blood. We'll follow you into the Docking Bay after five minutes." Flintlock's brow furrowed. "Just you and your XO? The two of you alone?"

"Small parties can go places battalions can't. Besides, my crew is more quality over quantity. We're minimal."

Flintlock shrugged. "It's your neck. See you when the job is done."

"See you, Captain." Naruto brought down his wrist. "Time to do our own boarding action."

Naruto and Hinata got in the dropship, sitting in the co-pilot's and pilot's seat respectively. Hinata lifted then up and out of the Docking Bay, not wavering a millimeter from her intended flight path. Once in the blackness of space, they flew along the side of the Hive ship until they found the Docking Bay, which was open but for an atmospheric force field. Hinata led them into the Hive ship, ignoring the blinking intercom.

Hinata carefully glided into the big open hangar bay without causing suspicion. The Hive ship was brightly lit by glowing hexagonal walls that surrounded the entire bay, all throbbing with a strange pulsating luminescence. The hexagonal panels directly in front of them, which were on the port side of the ship were all dimmed. Figures swarmed over another dropship, probably ground crew Naruto guessed, as a squad of ten more Insectoid shock troops marched down from an overhead ramp to get ready to board their transport.

Hinata gently rotated their dropship, as they came forward on their final approach to an unoccupied landing pad. As the marching soldiers swung into view, Hinata pulled the trigger on the odd shaped joystick and twin streams of sickly green energy bolts blasted out and scythed through the lined up soldiers. The Nuke trooper's chitinous bodies exploded as they were hit by the powerful energy pulses, causing limbs, antenna and pieces of armoured exoskeleton to be blasted about the Hangar bay as the troopers were struck by the Neutron bolts. The Insectoid forces were caught completely by surprise and by the time the survivors tried to react, they were picked off by a second deadly volley of accurate shots.

"Oops!" Hinata exclaimed, holding her hand over her open mouth in mock surprise.

Naruto chuckled. He watched as Hinata used the Heavy Neutron guns of the dropship to mow down the ground crew. In no time, the hanger bay was clear of Nuke. Hinata finally sat down on the landing pad.

They left the dropship and maintained a vigil of the large entrances into the hangar bay. Five minutes later, two Konoha Federation dropships sailed into the bay. They touched down next to Hinata's stolen ship and soon disgorged their load of trained Marines. The men all stared at Hinata, her hair hanging free and looking gorgeous even or perhaps especially because she had a Nuke blood splatter on her cheek. One of the men stepped forward, the eagle insignia on his shoulder pads marking him as the leader of the Marines.

"Commander Paul Richards, KFMC. And yes, that's standard naming convention."

"Commander Uzumaki Naruto, KFMC Special Ops, retired." Naruto returned the salute Richards gave him.

"Not so retired from what Captain Flintlock tells me."

"I am on paper. This is my XO, Hyuuga Hinata."

Richards looked her over and whistled. "A beautiful woman that can hold a gun. I'm in love."

"Sorry, flirt, I'm taken," Hinata smiled good-naturedly.

"Damn. So, how you want to do this? You're the ranking officer, Uzumaki."

Naruto considered their options, weighing secrecy versus success, and made a plan. "Leave all but six of your troops here. We need to go through the Hive Guard, the Broodmother, and the Hivelord to get to the holding cells, but we can't afford to have our exit compromised. Plus, I have a feeling a small army is headed for this hangar bay, the Nuke have cameras too. The eight of us will have to be enough to punch through the heart of their crew."

Richards nodded. "Fair enough, makes sense. I'm coming with you, though. Flintlock told me to keep an eye on the Consultant to make up for us taking out only seven ships."

"Fine. You should be aware that Hinata and I are… Enhanced. So if we move super fast or break a Nuke in half with our bare hands, don't be surprised."

"Top notch work, whoever did your cybernetics. Let's go. The longer we wait, the more chance that Hivelord implanted some poor innocent." Richards turned. "You, you, you, you, you, with me and the Commander on the rescue team. The rest of you, I want two firing lines covering the entrances to this room. They know we're here, and they'll want us out. Make them pay for daring to invade our territory!"

"OOH-RAH!" Howled the Marines.

Naruto pulled up a model of the ship Sasuke had sent to his suit's computer. "This way. I take point, Hinata takes the rear. No, not because she's a woman, but because she's my best shot and I trust her to shoot over all our heads to get a charging Nuke. Now let's go."

"Yes, sir!" The Marines and Richards all said, with Hinata merely nodding silently.

They entered a wide corridor that continued the odd hexagonal tiling in the hangar bay. Each tile pulsed with light and the lighting in the hall throbbed, as though in time with the Hive ship's pulse. They passed sealed doorways occasionally, but there were no sounds coming from within the adjoining rooms, so Naruto led them on quickly, hoping to maintain the element of surprise. The corridor ended in a set of ornate double doors, so they darted up to them, getting ready to storm through. Naruto listened intently, but all he could hear was an odd chirruping noise, so he cautiously eased the door open while the Marines covered him with their rifles.

The big door swung open smoothly and the disconcerting chirruping noise became more intense. It seemed to fluctuate, getting alternately louder then softer and sounding utterly alien and extremely creepy. Now that the door was open, they could see that they were looking in on a hexagonal shaped room. There was a curving ramp that led both upwards and downwards and the strange chirruping noise seemed to be coming from the lower depths of the ship.

"The life readings all came from the lower decks, so I guess we go down," Naruto said to the team.

They nodded their agreement and followed as he began to lead them down the curving walkway, spiralling downwards a good three or four full rotations around the central axis before they finally reached the bottom. The ramp opened out into a big room, big double doors at the end with smaller entrances on the flanking walls, the entire right hand side darkened after the loss of power.

An upraised curved dais sat in the middle of the room, with a bulky six limbed Nuke operating hexagonal buttons on the odd looking console. Naruto raised his Rifle to take the shot when there was a squawk from Richards's wrist. Unfortunately the Nuke noticed the flash of light and looked up, spotting them. It pushed some kind of button in front of it and the hexagonal tiled walls started to glow red instead of white, plunging the room into crimson shaded gloom. A strange squawking noise sounded shrilly and reverberated around the chamber, echoing ominously.

Cursing, Naruto rushed forward with Psychic Speed and snapped the Nuke's neck like a dry twig. It tumbled to the floor of its dais. Returning to normal speed, Naruto turned, trying to reign in his temper. "That better be your pregnant wife or the Fleet Admiral himself, Paul."

"Sorry, sir. Forgot to mute it." Richards tapped the communicator. "Rawlins, this had better be important."

"We've got a horde trying to break into the hangar bay. We've already got three casualties. We'll hold them off as long as we can but this could be close!"

The clicking sound of many clawed feet began to come from both side doors.

"That's the Hive Guard. Everyone, behind the dais. Grenades on three," Naruto barked. The eight of them squeezed behind the barrier of the dais, ignoring the dead Nuke they were crouched on top of, staying out of line of sight as two squads of Insectoid soldiers appeared from each hallway. There were six Nuke soldiers per squad, each group led by a hulking Overseer Insect.

"1… 2… 3!" Naruto counted in a whisper, as everyone unclipped a grenade and tossed them into the mass of insectoid lifeforms. Neutron fire buzzed over them for a second before there were over half a dozen explosions. They stood up cautiously to look at the results.

Each Nuke patrol had been ripped apart by the grenades. The doorways were blackened, scorched ruins, with billowing black smoke pouring out of the incinerated tiling and a few more shattered tiles sheared off the wall to clang to the floor. The Nuke forces had been annihilated by the powerful explosives, chitinous appendages were scattered all over the floor and viscous green liquid dripped from where it had been sprayed all over the walls. Miraculously, one of the bulky Overseer bugs was still moving, even though it had lost two of its leg limbs. It screeched a piercing squeal of rage as it tried to level its Neutron Rifle in their direction and the team all opened up on it, sending round after round into its armoured body. It took an alarmingly high number of bullets to finally stop it twitching, the tough Insectoid able to take a surprising amount of punishment.

The sound of more Nuke came from the ramp leading up into the ship. The team arranged behind the barricade of the dais wall as another two squads of Nuke came down the ramp trailed by another Overseer.

"Aim for their feet," Naruto commanded before they had reached the floor. The Marines and Hinata began firing, shooting out the Nuke's legs from under them and leaving them vulnerable to be picked off by more fire. The Overseer Insect roared and charged. In a move that had the Marines dropping their jaws, Hinata met its charge and unloaded a round under its chin, maneuvering her weapon around its flailing limbs.

Naruto chuckled. "My girl's fearless and fatal, gentlemen. Now, the Broodmother should be on the other side of this door. She's bigger, stronger, and meaner than the Overseers. Her job is to protect the grubs, after all. Aim for the eyes and joints, don't bother trying to bleed her out by aiming for center mass."

"Got it, Commander," Richards said, his Marines nodded with him. Seeing Hinata already poised and aimed behind the dais, Naruto pressed the hexagonal button next to the double doors. The portal yawned open, and the chirruping sound reached peak volume, the sources no longer blocked by intervening walls.

Hundreds of grubs wiggled and cried in hexagonal cubbyholes, mechanical claws dropping bits of rancid meat into each cradle. Looking over it all, all twelve feet of her, was the Nuke Broodmother. She had four eyes and twice as many legs as her lesser evolved brethren, and she had zero temper. She took one look at the Konoha invaders in this sacred space and lost it. Roaring her displeasure, she charged.

"Fire at will!" Richards called out, his Marines and he all unloading at her four compact eyes. She roared and raised her hands to cover her head when she felt the pain. Hinata and Naruto were the only ones to have any success shooting out her joints. Her elbows and knees was blown apart until she slid on the ground to crash before them. After an alarming number of shots through her eyes into her brain, she finally stopped moving.

"Just the Hivelord left. If he's not here then he's busy with implantation. Which means we need to hurry. Follow me," Naruto instructed as he walked through the grub chamber and down the ramp at the end down further into the ship. They eventually reached another double door.

As they opened the door, they were met with the sound of a horrible wailing human scream. They glanced at each other nervously and then moved through the door into the next chamber. This huge room was stacked floor to ceiling along the sides with chitinous cages, terrified human prisoners locked within. They overlooked a scene of nightmares in front of them.

Three naked human prisoners were restrained on a round platform in the centre of the room. The first, a man, was slumped over unconscious with drool falling from his mouth and his bloated stomach pulsing as rounded shapes writhed within his abdomen. The second was a woman, who was screaming in fear and looking on in horror at her shipmate.

The third figure was another woman, her body obscured by the hulking insectoid form that hovered above her. It was over ten feet tall and had six limbs, four of which were holding its body up above her and the last set holding the woman it had mounted in place below it. A large bulbous segment grew out of its lower body which ended with an ovipositor, that was shoved deep inside the prostrate figure below. The woman was crying and groaning in horrified revulsion as small spheres passed down through the pulsating transparent section at the back of the creature and were pushed inside her tightly packed ass, her midsection bloating obscenely to accommodate the Nuke eggs.

"We can't all fire at once, we might hit the prisoners. Hinata, I need your sniping skills."

"You got it, Commander," Hinata said, raising her rifle to her eye.

"Hey ugly!" Naruto shouted down the hallway.

The Hivelord withdrew from the woman with a sickening 'schluck' sound. The Hivelord turned and seeing them, roared… and fell over dead, Hinata having shot an armor piercing round into his mouth and out the back of his skull.

Richards whistled. "Goddamn woman, you can shoot."

"I practiced, that's all. Helps to have a little…enhancement, of course."

Richards shook his head. "I'd like to have some enhancement like that. If I transfered to your crew, could I get in on that?"

Naruto and Hinata exchanged a glance. "If you agreed to all the consent forms after knowing the side-effects, sure. And you'd be effectively retiring or going on indefinite leave, since I'm officially a civilian and all."

"Aw, well. Maybe another time." Richards turned to the watching prisoners. "Everyone! I'm Commander Richards from the Cruiser Indomitable! You're all coming home with me and my boys, alright?"

There was scratchy but well-heartened cheering from the masses. Naruto was all prepared to be ignored when Richards added. "And here's Commander Uzumaki Naruto and his XO Hyuuga Hinata! They led the rescue op and wiped out half the pirate fleet as well as disabling the Nuke ship so we could even board. Give them a round of applause, won't you?"

There was hooting and hollering from the prisoners as the Marines began to open each cage. There was indeed applause for Naruto and Hinata.

"Happy to help! Now, Marines, you support this poor man and woman. Richards, Hinata and I will take point on leading everyone back to the hangar bay." Naruto checked his ammo counter. "Halfway through my last clip, I hope they're done up there."

"What I could do with a few squads of 'enhanced' Marines. But I'm about out too. Hopefully our boys repelled the counter boarding party."

"If not, we can always use a couple of these Neutron Rifles to kill the Nuke. Taste of their own medicine seems deliciously ironic," Hinata said as they walked past the corpses of the Hive Guard.

"I understand you're going after the pirate leader when you get back to your ship. After that, what next? Single-handedly winning the conflict with the Kumo Empire?"

"Olympus Shipyard. We're transporting a shipment of Tyrenium, enough for a Dreadnought. After that, the Invictus is going on a tour of the Galactic League," Naruto shared, seeing no harm. Plus it was hard not to bond with a man after being in combat with him.

Richards blew out a whistle. "Tyrenium, damn. You get a commission on that?"

"100%. I am the civilian trader who bought it so I could sell it, after all."

"You split the cut evenly with your crew?" Richards asked interestedly.

"Naruto turned his private account into the community chest. We're all going on a shopping spree on Gravitus after the sale goes through," Hinata explained with a grin.

Richards hissed. "Money and high-end subcutaneous cybernetics. Where do I sign?"

"Is that a sincere request? Because I could pull some strings with a Vice Admiral I know and get you transferred. Just know that once you join my crew it's almost impossible to leave." Naruto eyed Richards intently. *He's handsome and nice, right? We could use a Marine Chief for boarding actions and ground actions.*

*I think he's just being wistful. He's not leaving the Indomitable, he loves it too much. And I'm sensing a pattern in your male crushes. You like ladies fresh and innocent, but you like men seasoned and experienced.*

*I like establishing my youthful dominance over them while enjoying their wisdom. You're right, I'd noticed that in myself.*

Richards sighed. "My wife's a nurse back on the Indomitable. Unless you could nab her too, I'm afraid I'll have to say no."

"I could, if you want. Just be aware this offer lasts until we leave the system. Hopefully Flintlock won't fire on us for nabbing his Marine Chief," Naruto flirted. Yes, flirted.

"I'll get back to you. Nicole and I need to have a talk." They reached the hangar bay, the 'brrt' of Konoha Federation assault rifles filling the air. A battlefield of fallen Nuke covered the ground in piles of chitin and puddles of green blood. It hadn't all gone the K-Fed's way, though. Over a dozen men lay dead or writhing from Neutron damage. Richards sighed. "On second thought, never mind. It'll take me hours to handle all this and you need to get after Momochi. Let's just call this missed opportunity."

"We would have been happy to have you. Now, we'll leave the prisoners with you. Hinata and I will head back to the Invictus. I'll have a talk with Flintlock and then we'll go after the pirate. Pleasure serving with you, Richards." Naruto snapped a crisp salute. Hinata mimicked him perfectly.

Richards grinned and returned the salute. "I'll keep track of you, Uzumaki. I have a feeling you'll 'consult' on some big things in the future."

With that, they parted ways. Hinata piloted their stolen Nuke dropship back to the Invictus.

*We're coming back and in one piece. Prep the Invictus to go after the Stalingrad.* Naruto projected in the pack mind and to Tenten simultaneously. He'd finally worked out the trick of thinking two different things at once. Naruto strolled out of the dropship with Hinata beside him. The cleaning robots were huddled around the pile of Nuke corpses, their programming unable to cope with the unknown objects. They trailed behind the two Uzu, who were trailing green blood from when the Broodmother charged.

They stepped out of the elevator into the Bridge and cheers. Hana and Tenten all clapped while Sasuke hummed the anthem of the Konoha Federation. Stripping out of their soiled armor and leaving the suits on the floor, Naruto and Hinata took their Chairs.

"Get me the Indomitable," Naruto requested.

Tenten reached over to the inactive Comms console next to her Engineering station, and flicked a few switches. The face of Captain Flintlock filled the air.

"Commander, still alive I see. Commander Richards gave you and your XO a raving review. And he mentioned something about how you tried to seduce him away from me?" Flintlock raised a brow.

"I just mentioned some of the perks of joining my crew and the fact we had an opening. I almost got him and Nicole, but the time crunch killed our chance. As for our performance, like I said, I take the best and make them better.*

"Now, I'm going to be stuck here for hours ferrying 400+ freed prisoners to my Cargo Bay and towing this Hive ship is going to slow us to a crawl. Seems our part in this little operation is done. Want to wait for back-up before going after Momochi or want to just go charging off?" Flintlock asked.

"We finish what we start on this crew, Captain. The Invictus is going after the Stalingrad as soon as this call ends. I'll be sure to mention your valor and crew's competence in my AAR."

"Likewise, Commander. God bless you and your crew. I hope we meet again," Flintlock saluted, which Naruto mirrored. Then the channel cut out.

"Move to intercept the Stalingrad, ladies," Naruto ordered.

Hinata flew them to the Nav Beacon and then plotted a course based on the direction Tenten had calculated they'd gone. "ETA 14 hours, assuming they don't deviate course. That's the smart thing to do, but these are pirates. Will the Interdictor even work on a larger vessel or multiple vessels?"

"So long as it's within five times the Invictus's mass, it will work just fine," Tenten reported. "Now what was it like on the bug boat?"

Hana shuddered. "I saw footage in the Academy, it seems like the stuff of nightmares."

"The 40s Purges were before my time, but Itachi served during the last. He described it as entering a shiny green womb filled with creepy critters that make you shudder." Sasuke shivered.

"Sounds about right. We got to see all four evolutionary forms including grubs. I hope they rush those two that were already implanted to Heracles. Nuke gestation is less than a week." Naruto shuddered. "I'm so glad I have a penis and not an ovipositor."

"Does it make a difference? Either way the victim's belly ends up bloated," Hinata teased.

"Ha ha ha. Wish we'd found a Queen on there. That would have killed every Nuke in the Hive mind. Unfortunately, they know that and that's why they stay safe on their home planets."

"Psychic signals from systems away? Do they have Astral Bonds?" Hinata asked.

"We'd have to disect one to be sure, but I think it's somehow biological. Though I could just see THAT Astral Entity sponsoring the Nuke as well as the Uzu."

"Where do Nuke come from?" Tenten asked. She'd been shown a map of known space and had it memorized like she'd memorized everything since she started drinking Uzu cum.

"Out past Karron, on the Rim? Right? Naruto, I asked you once what was out there and you thought of the Nuke," Hinata remembered.

"I'll never win an argument with you with a memory like that. Yes, honey, Nuke space is from a few systems past Karron to the Outer Rim." Naruto's face closed off. "That's also the space my mother's ship went to investigate, so my father might be out there too."

"You ever imagine, what it might have been like if she'd brought you with her when she returned to him?" Sasuke asked.

"I don't know. Uzu aren't exactly compassionate parents based on my Guide's knowledge. More every man for himself. I would have been a hostage held to doubly ensure her loyalty and probably nothing else. And then I'd never have had the life I had. So bad as it sounds, I'm glad she abandoned me. It led me to all of you."

"That's so sweet but so sad," Hana said, hand on her heart. "Once we're at full power, you want to go searching for her? With Uzu weapons, we could fight off any Nuke fleet we run into."

"Maybe, but it's not a priority. They haven't been a part of my life growing up, I don't need them in my life now," Naruto stared decisively.

Tenten stood up. "The mood is dead and my belly is flat. I know a way to fix both!" Sinking to her knees before the Command Chair, she unbuttoned Naruto's pants and pulled out his soft length. She stroked and mouthed it to full growth, and then began to deepthroat him repeatedly. Naruto sighed and laid a hand on her head, enjoying the blowjob as the ache of combat seeped into his muscles. He'd need help getting to the shower, after he finished. There was no point in holding out so he was soon unloading down Tenten's throat.

Tenten stood up, rubbing her engorged belly. "That makes 21 by my count. That's a week of three meals a day. So, am I going to wake up with pointy ears?"

Naruto reviewed her progress in her compartment in his mind. "Maybe even before you fall asleep tonight. You're right on the cusp of Uzuhood."

"And to mark the occasion, you'll finally lose your virginity," Sasuke said seductively. Tenten blushed and giggled like a schoolgirl. Hana and Hinata shared knowing looks while Naruto buttoned up his pants.

"Well, I'm not waiting for us to catch up with the Stalingrad. I'm getting a hot shower and going to bed after watching the show. Who's with me?" Naruto asked.

"Aye!" Called out the members of his Pack. They all stood up and, with an alarm set for the long-range scanners, left the Bridge for Deck 2.

* * *

**Confrontation with Zabuza and the introduction of a surprise character next chapter. Please fave, follow, or review.**


	16. Chapter 16

**Psych. I had one more chapter ready and primed by the 24-hour update mark. Hope it delights.**

* * *

The Pack filed into the shower, Hinata and Naruto getting pride of place under the faucets given the Nuke guts in their hair and extremities.

"Tell me about nicer aliens than the Nuke," Tenten requested, her belly large with a load of Uzu spunk.

"The Iwa are the friendliest in the Galactic League, their current random attacks notwithstanding. Giants made of living stone with pussies and cocks that feel like silicone sex toys. I'd like to recruit one for variety's sake, though I'm not sure if my cum would make them shrink. They might blow the size conformity," Naruto mused.

"I met a Kumo exchange student in the Academy before the conflict started. She had such lovely red scales and seemed almost human once you got past the lisp. I wasn't bi yet but I always wondered what her tongue would feel like," Hana recollected.

"The Suna Collective are a friendly people. I only hope they're more expressive with Telepathy than they are through their mind translators. A female would be tight as fuck but a male would be laughably inadequate before getting the Gift. Any enhanced Suna would be assumed to be a hybrid by the unaware," Sasuke answered.

"I want to see the mysterious Oto naked. What are they hiding behind those suits of armor? Maybe it'll be Kakashi, Naruto's trading buddy. I hope he knows how to cook, Hana shared the memory of the food she sampled and it was divine." Hinata scrubbed extra hard under her nails.

"Not sure if a Mizu would consent to have relations with an Uzu, we look so Konoha. An Umi would be an interesting experience. Probably a lot of slimy tentacles, if you're into that," Naruto added.

Tenten chuckled. "Of course you had a sexual overview of each species. You Uzu are horny bastards."

"In about 90 minutes your ears will have changed and you'll be an Uzu too, Tenten. Want to look in the mirror now or wait for the full effect?" Hinata asked gently.

She reached up to feel her scar, and felt only smooth unblemished skin. "I don't need to see the ears. I want to look after we dry off."

"Oh, I can't wait to see your face!" Hana squealed.

"And afterwards, I'm welcoming you to the pack. Followed by Naruto?" Sasuke asked.

"I'm in adrenaline withdrawal and don't feel like cheating with Psychic Healing. I'll fuck her after we take down the Stalingrad, if she'll have me."

Tenten chuckled. "You don't have Sasuke's smoldering good looks but you've grown on me, werewolf. I'll let you fuck me. But I expect to fuck you someday soon. Hinata told me how you're into femdom every now and again."

"Whatever you want, honey," Naruto grinned.

"Oh, we could spitroast him. Call it the Karron Skewer or something silly like that!" Hinata chuckled and washed the generic shampoo out of her waist-length tresses. Her hair quality came from her diet, not a product.

"I'll admit, I never deflowered a girl before. I'm not sure I'm ready for the responsibility."

"If it's any consolation to either of you, I dissolved her hymen. So no stinging tearing or blood to ruin that first thrust," Naruto illuminated.

Tenten visibly relaxed. "Oh, good. I was worried about that."

"Our Alpha, thinking ahead. You know, you could have probably made it to at least Rear Admiral if you'd stayed on," Hana gushed, wrapping him in a wet naked hug."

"In another life, I could have gone for Fleet Admiral. But luckily I did retire. And ten years later got a tip from Mad Iruka about Madame Trixie and some Tyrenium."

Tenten and Hinata both snorted. "Madame Trixie? Her girls are walking petri dishes. I hope your friend used a condom!" Tenten guffawed.

"This is the guy you willed the Fool's Gold to? You might be getting her back sooner than you think."

"Can't recall the last time I heard someone catching a venereal disease from just hand stuff. But I'll check up on him. Maybe rub his face in my harem of gorgeous women… And one handsome man. Almost got an extra of both today but we had to go chasing after Zabuza," Naruto sighed. "Ah, missed opportunity."

"The dynamics would have been interesting if they came aboard. They were already married. How would they drink from you, share each meal? But Richards was nice. I hope he and Nicole have cute babies one day,"

Naruto grinned paternally. "I think I'd put the Nursery on Deck 3, once we settle down and assuming we keep the Invictus."

Naruto was treated to three doe-eyed girls and a longing-eyed guy. "Pup fever, we already have it. Might not be long after we come to power and beat this potential rival Uzu that we become parents," Sasuke mused.

"Shame you two can't have biological children. That would be so hot," Hana moaned.

"Bad Hana. This isn't one of your mpreg doujinshi," Hinata scolded.

"People write comics about that sort of thing?" Tenten asked incredulously.

"It's a wildly popular niche audience. And hey, if we get a Medic, you and they could work on an artificial womb and make it a reality." Hana reasoned with Tenten.

"We'll have exponentially more children if we enable same-sex parents. Let's stick to good old-fashioned breeding for the first generation, why don't we?" Naruto mused.

"First generation? As in there will be multiple generations? The first could be having their own grandkids when we decide to have a second? Our family tree is going to be a bramble bush," Tenten moaned.

"It'll be worth it, everyone, so they say," Naruto said, turning off the water. "Now let's get dried off and witness Tenten realizing what a fox she is now!"

"Huzzah!" Hinata cheered, charging out the bathroom without even toweling off.

"Wait for me, airhead. That's kind of the point," Tenten called after her as Sasuke toweled her off for her. Tenten couldn't exactly reach her toes at the moment.

"I think she can just set herself on fire and dry off that way," Hana mused when she saw a flash of pinkish flames from the bedroom.

"What I could do with that teenage energy in my veins," Naruto mused as he tossed his towel in the hamper.

"You could conquer the Galactic League in a month. Though I'm curious, is your stamina a Naruto thing or a learned trait? Because you lasting two minutes like a typical teenager with the amount you cum would be hilarious." Sasuke grinned mischievously.

"Let's just say I ruined a lot of bath towels when I first hit puberty and leave it at that," Naruto said with a blush.

"Hush. Me time now. About to see a non-ugly version of my face," Tenten quieted.

They followed in procession from the bathroom to the closet, Hinata playfully covering Tenten's eyes before she reached the mirror. When Tenten gave a nod, Hinata let go.

Tenten looked in the mirror in shock. "Wow… I'm fucking beautiful!" Her face was now the face of a Holo-actress cast as queen of the elves. Her midnight-black hair feel in a straight curtain to her mid-back. Her tits were the full 32D Naruto enjoyed, and her ass could be used as a pillow. Her tanned skin was flawless and glassy smooth and hairless. She had the muscle of a cage fighter with the feminine softness of a model. In a word, she was an Uzu.

"Indeed you are. You always were if you ignored the burn, but that problem's gone now." Naruto wrapped his newest Thrall in a hug. "I made your outsides match your insides. And you should have psychic powers and the tech schematics now too. Just search your mind."

Tenten looked up into her head and concentrated. She blinked. "I think I'm in love. That ship is… there are no words. The Power Core, the Quantum Annihilator, the Shield Generator! Oh my tits, we have a Wormhole Generator!" Tenten turned in Naruto's grip and made out with him on the spot. "Gods bless whoever encoded these in your DNA for you to share with me! I have seen the face of heaven!"

"I thought this was our night," Sasuke said with a fake put-out expression.

Tenten leapt from Naruto's arms to Sasuke's. "It is hunk muffin. I was just showing the Alpha his due respect and thanks. Now take me to bed and make me a woman!"

Sasuke hitched her legs around his waist and carried her to the bed. Naruto and the girls arranged themselves around it, getting good seats for the upcoming show. Sasuke and Tenten stared into each other's eyes before initiating a long make-out session. When their mouths separated, Sasuke buried his head in her newfound bounteous boobs.

*Woo, Sasuke, eat them titties!* Naruto cheered.

*This will go so much easier if you don't keep a running commentary,* Sasuke projected, his mouth occupied with Tenten's nipple.

*Me and Hana will keep him distracted,* Hinata assured, before grabbing her Thrall by the hand and engaging in a display of Sapphic love that totally side-tracked the Alpha. Between watching a cherry picking and a stand-up scissoring, Naruto knew which he preferred.

Sasuke pulled back from his dive into Tenten's bosom to give her another kiss. Then, with deft musician's fingers, he inserted two digits into her leaking pussy. Tenten shuddered, clenching like a vice around the invaders. Sasuke hissed.

"Hot damn, Tenten, you'll squeeze my cock right off!"

"It can reattach with Psychic Healing. And I may have practiced kegels in anticipation of this," Tenten admitted, blushing up a storm, looking like an angel spread out on the bedspread.

Sasuke shuddered. "You sure you wouldn't rather be broken in by Naruto? He's sturdier than I am, can take all kinds of punishment down there."

"I wanted to lose my virginity to a guy who reminded me of a prince. That's you. Naruto is more the rugged knight. Not that I'm not interested in him too, but you're the one that I want first inside me."

Sasuke almost lost his composure at her heartfelt words. Unable to think of anything worthy to say to that, Sasuke lined his Beta cock up with her snatch and, looking into her eyes the whole time, slid in.

Naruto and the part-time lesbians paused in their own make-out to turn to the bed. They wanted to remember this moment, when one of their own was introduced to the world of sex that was their birthright.

Tenten moaned. "Oh gods, no wonder everyone's obsessed with fucking! You're so big and deep!"

"I'm not all the way in yet. This may feel a little weird," Sasuke warned. Then he pushed the final quarter of his cock past her cervical ring and into her hyperfertile womb.

Tenten's eyes widened. "Okay, that's tingly. What was that?"

"Naruto's so big that to fit all the way inside he makes Thralls' cervixes open up for him. I'm just big enough to get past the gate. He goes all the way to the back wall of your womb," Sasuke explained, his shoulder-length mane of hair sticking with sweat to his face.

Tenten nodded. "Good to know. Now ride me, cowboy."

Sasuke chuckled at being called the ancient profession, but he was happy to oblige his new lover. He withdrew until only the head was inside her, before thrusting balls-deep into her uterus. He did it again and again until he was humping her at a speed and rhythm that would be considered impressive even by holo-porn standards. Naruto watched the live show while Hinata and Hana slobbered on his revitalized knob. The room was filled with the wet sounds of flesh slapping flesh. Finally, set off by Tenten's orgasm, Naruto released, which triggered Hinata, Hana, and Sasuke.

Sasuke rolled off Tenten, keeping an arm around her waist and pillowing his head on her right breast. She giggled as his hair tickled her, but held him close to her heart regardless. The other three members of the pack joined them, sliding into bed so Hinata and Hana spooned Sasuke and Naruto could spoon Tenten.

*So, how's it feel to not be a virgin anymore?* Naruto asked on their private mental channel.

*Like a junkie who just discovered a new fix, honestly,* Tenten replied sleepily.

*In about 12 hours, it's our turn.*

*Assuming we survive the Stalingrad,* Tenten pointed out.

*Victory is won before the battle starts. I have every confidence in the Pack to handle this Momochi Zabuza.* Naruto yawned. *It's been a long ass day. Let's catch some shut-eye,* he projected to everyone.

He got sleepy agreements and then they all drifted into the realm of Morpheus.

* * *

The Pack woke up bright and early, before 0900 and a couple hours before their planned interdiciton of the Stalingrad. The four lesser members of the Pack took turns blowing Naruto until Sasuke was the lucky one to get his filling release. The bluenette rubbed his belly.

"I love seeing new crew members become Uzu, but I'm glad as fuck I get to eat your loads again," Sasuke said contently.

"Lucky. I call next, I'm the top bitch. I can eat out the creampie he leaves in Tenten after we win." Hinata nodded at her own plan.

Tenten was feeling her new ears. "I'm a whole new woman. I need to get a new ID photo taken."

"Most of us do. So what's the game plan for the day?" Hana asked.

Naruto sat up, authority falling around him like a cloak. "Quick shower and breakfast. Then you and Sasuke go to the Bridge and calculate an attack plan. I also want you to work out the ideal site for an ambush from the pirates. Smart money is they know we're coming after them. I don't want us to get caught with our pants down if this Zabuza has a lick of sense. Tenten, go down to the Docking Bay and analyze the dropship and Neutron Rifles. You only have time for a preliminary analysis but it should give you an idea of Nuke tech for use in the future. Hinata and I will clean and then put on our armor before joining you two on the Bridge. Ready? Break!"

They all separated for their assigned tasks after a breakfast of omelettes. Naruto and Hinata fetched their armor from where they'd left it on the Bridge and took them back to the bathroom in their quarters. They carefully hosed the bulletproof fabrics of Nuke blood and guts, before drying them and donning them. Hana and Sasuke, each the equivalent of an entire K-Fed analysis unit, went to work calculating how to beat the Stalingrad and seven picket ships and the worst spot the Invictus could be attacked. Tenten hosed out the inside of the Nuke dropship, sluicing out the blood from the massacre of their attempted boarding. Tenten eyed the ship, the Nuke corpses, and the Neutron Rifles with Material Sight, essentially a psychic microscope that gave her heaps of knowledge on the make-up of the alien materials.

*Psychic powers are the shit. Thank you for those,* Tenten projected, her head inside a maintenance panel for the dropship.

*Happy to give them to you, Tenten. Just part of the compensation for letting me have my way with you whenever I fancy,* Naruto replied.

*Naruto?* Sasuke and Hana projected simultaneously.

*What is it, babes?*

*Remember how we were supposed to calculate the ideal ambush site? It's the Iota Carinae system,* Hana projected uneasily.

*So what's the problem?* Hinata asked, slapping a clip of caseless hollow point ammunition into her XR73 Rifle.

*We'll pass the Iota Carinae system in approximately sixty seconds,* Sasuke explained.

Naruto was on guard in an instant. *Shields up, weapons hot. I'd rather we seem like idiots than get stuck in a killbox. We'll be up there as soon as the elevator comes,*

*Yes, Commander!* The Pack projected.

Tenten hit her head pulling it out of the maintenance panel. For the first time, she used Psychic Speed to make it to the elevator, almost tripping at the rush of speed. She hit the button a dozen times before the doors opened. She rushed in and pounded the button for the Command Deck. There was only one stop on Deck 2, when Naruto and Hinata entered, looking intimidating as hell in their respective armors and bearing Rifles beyond anything she could have made on Karron. They had just reached the Bridge when a loud alarm went off.

"BWOOP! BWOOP! BWOOP!"

The Invictus shuddered violently as the enemy Interdictor forcibly pulled it out of hyperwarp. Naruto, Hinata, and Tenten clung drunkenly to each other while Hana and Sasuke clung to their consoles.

"Get the System Map up and head straight for cover! I don't care if we have to enter the star's coronasphere, just get us out of this trap!" Naruto commanded, stumbling over to his Command Chair.

Tenten obediently pulled up the System Map. The huge A-type star glowed white with heat and light. The lone planetary body was Iota Carinae Alpha, a frozen world with a large ring of broken chunks of ice larger than the Invictus. Of more concern, though, was the seven ships arranged around the Invictus and already opening fire.

"Hinata, full speed! Tenten, all power from weapons to engines and shields!" Naruto coordinated.

"Shields down to 62%!" Sasuke announced even as the Invictus lurched forward. "If they caught us by surprise we'd have been fucked," he announced grimly.

"Might still be. Hinata, evasive maneuvers, use Future Sight if you have to, we'll all fuel you energy," Naruto ordered.

Her eyes took on a golden cast as she looked up at the System Map and the pirate ships bearing down on them. The Pack felt a substantial drain on their collective resources, but it would be worth it if it kept them alive. They rocketed past the one Destroyer, leaving it facing the wrong way. The Frigates and Corvettes gave pursuit, while the Heavy Cruiser arranged itself to let loose its devastating broadside. Hinata made for the belt of ice chunks, her carefully erratic dodging allowing the picket ships to keep up but kept them from landing more than the odd random shot.

"Shields at 60% and rising," Tenten reported, Hinata's dodging allowing them a reprieve from Laser fire.

"Incoming broadside from the Stalingrad!" Hana said, her eyes tracking the System Map.

Hinata had dipped the Invictus and was yawing to the right to avoid fire from the pursuing Corvettes, which meant that the enormous shells from the Heavy Cannons sailed wide, eventually detonating harmlessly a few thousand metres away from their hull with colossal explosive force. Unfortunately the Beam Laser battery fire was much more accurate, with four of the six lasers scything across the shields over the rear of the dodging assault cruiser.

"Shields down to 28%!" Tenten shouted.

"Believe it or not, that was the best-case scenario," Hinata grunted, her eyes still locked on the Map. "Twenty seconds before we lose them in the ice field."

A relentless cascade of laser cannon fire sailed around the Invictus, as the pirates sprayed shots all over the place, giving up on trying to aim and just hoping a mass of firepower would let them hit by blind luck if not by skill. It worked to a degree, with the Invictus taking a few more hits, although the shields comfortably absorbed and dissipated the energy.

The tactical map zoomed in to show the looming formations of ice hanging motionless and trapped in orbit around the frozen planet. The Invictus dived into the ice belt, leaving a frosty trail behind them as their shields pushed aside the tiny ice crystals that shrouded the whole belt in a white mist.

Hinata pulled the ship around in a smooth arc and put a colossal hunk of crystallised water between them and the Heavy Cruiser. Now they were no longer in direct line of sight to the pirates, she was able to put more distance between them and their pursuers, making use of the superior top speed of the Invictus.

"What's the plan, Naruto?" Sasuke asked, his eyes glancing at the Tactical Map and the enemy fleet.

"Recover shields under cover, take out the Frigates and Corvettes that followed us, then go for the Destroyer and the Stalingrad. We can do this, everyone."

"Yes, sir," they chorused.

"Shields at 22%, that was close," Tenten revealed.

Behind them, the titanic lump of ice shuddered as it was hit by the Beam Lasers from the Stalingrad, melting huge gouges out of the sheer ice surface facing the Heavy Cruiser. The stubborn ice block stayed together though, refusing to yield to the energy weapons. That stubbornness was abruptly overwhelmed when the Stalingrad opened up with its eight Heavy Cannons. The shells punched their way into the icy asteroid and caused great fractured splits, until the shells detonated moments later and razor sharp ice fragments exploded in all directions, the huge object blasted into smithereens.

Fortunately for the crew of the Invictus, that was but one massive hunk of ice amongst thousands and Hinata simply followed the Ice belt around the planet, putting more distance and more Ice between them and the marauding pirates. They sailed past huge formations of ice that reflected the bright glare from the sun, spreading multi hued prisms of light in front of them.

"You know this would actually be quite beautiful if we weren't running for our lives," Hinata said wistfully, admiring the natural beauty of the galaxy.

"When all is said and done, I'll take you all on a tour of the wonders of the galaxy. For now, let's focus on the job at hand. Tenten, how are we on shields?"

"We're at 47%," she replied.

"Have the picket forces gone back to the Stalingrad?"

"No, they're still in pursuit," Hana reported.

"That's right, split your forces, you dumb bastards," Sasuke growled. "When shields reach 90%, we should strike."

Hinata kept the ship on an even keel, but reduced their speed slightly so they wouldn't get too far ahead of the pursuing pirate ships. By the time the shields had regenerated, they were around on the other side of the planet from the initial ambush site.

"88... 89... 90% Naruto!" Tenten called out as their shields grew stronger in power.

Hinata didn't need to be told what to do, as she pulled up the nose on the Invictus, executing an Immelmann turn and putting them on a direct course towards the pursuing Corvettes and Frigate.

"20 seconds until we're in range." she called out.

Tenten powered up the weapons, diverting away power from the engines, but kept the shields regenerating.

Hana narrowed her eyes as she sighted the vicious pirates and gently depressed the trigger, firing the Assault Cruiser's Beam Lasers. The six bright shafts of energy scorched the tiny ice crystals in their path before searing into the Frigate. The pirate ship's shields were no match for the mighty power of the Beam Lasers and winked out an instant, allowing the beams to blast right through the ship, leaving it a hollowed out ruined shell.

The Invictus trembled a second later as the rail guns fired, the hyperwarp shells slamming into two of the Corvettes. Normally ineffective against shielded targets, the shells still had sufficient momentum to send the tiny Corvettes spiralling out of control, each one colliding with massive chunks of Ice that were drifting nearby. The shells detonated seconds later and the explosions ripped apart the badly damaged ships. Finally closing to laser cannon range, the two remaining Corvettes fired back with turreted lasers as they turned to try and escape from the vengeful wrath of the Invictus. Hinata dodged their poorly aimed shots with deceptive ease and then Hana eviscerated both small ships with broadsides from their own batteries of laser cannons.

"Shields up to 100% Naruto," Tenten said informatively.

"Now it's your turn," Naruto said, staring at the representation of the Heavy Cruiser as it circled the planet, staying well clear of the Ice belt.

"Ok full power to engines, we want to close as fast as we can to execute Hinata's plan," Sasuke suggested.

"We'll take out the destroyer as soon as it's in range and then it's just us and that Cruiser," Naruto continued.

Nodding their understanding, the girls followed their commands eagerly. Hinata swung the ship about, putting them on a direct intercept course with the Heavy Cruiser. Hana pressed some buttons on her tactical console and weapon fire arcs and ranges for the Stalingrad appeared, overlaid on the bulky command ship.

"They'll fire as soon as we get in range" the astute brunette told Hinata. "I'd get ready with evasive manoeuvres the second we hit their maximum field of fire."

The bluenette nodded her head, appreciative of Hana's tactical knowledge.

"I'm diverting all power to engines at the moment, but I'll bring the weapons back online just before we close on the Destroyer," Tenten warned the Inuzuka.

All prepared, they watched the Tactical Map as the Invictus closed inexorably on their target. The Stalingrad was cruising along at a right angle to them, keeping them directly facing the full might of its broadsides. The accompanying Destroyer pivoted and began to move forward to engage.

As predicted, the Stalingrad opened up with everything it had the second the Invictus closed within beam and heavy cannon range. Forewarned, Hinata executed a sharp dive with perfect split second timing and the assault cruiser ducked below the blistering hail of energy beams and heavy shells. Explosions ripped through space behind them, but the shells had overshot and caused no damage. Tenten powered up the weapons, just as Hinata brought up the front of the Invictus to face the incoming Destroyer.

The Destroyer fired their own two beam lasers, both of them striking the Invictus as it flew directly at them, causing the shields to glow brightly as the arcing lances of laser energy slashed across the front of the charging assault cruiser. Hana fired back and the Destroyer's shields flickered out, overwhelmed by the mighty power of the beam lasers, as five of the six beams carved glowing furrows into the thick armour on the blocky front of the ship. The beams had done their job however, knocking out the shields and leaving the target vulnerable to the Mass Drivers. The four enormous magnetic rails launched their shells at incredible velocity and all four struck the front of the pirate vessel at the same time. The tremendous impact knocked the ship upwards as though reeling from an uppercut and when the shells detonated a second later, the explosions vapourized the front of the doomed ship.

The massed ranks of laser cannon turrets on the Stalingrad opened up as the Invictus closed with them relentlessly, lighting up the Tactical Map as they sent a curtain of red laser bolts in the Assault Cruiser's direction. Hinata rolled the Invictus and yawed to port, heading towards the rear of the enemy cruiser and causing roughly half of the incoming fire to sail wide. Hana returned fire with the twelve laser cannons on their starboard side, all shots causing rippling energy cascades as they struck the side of the slowly moving Heavy Cruiser.

"Shields at 72%," Tenten called out, the beams from the destroyer and the hits from the laser cannons taking their toll.

Naruto nodded his understanding and watched as the duel unfolded.

Hinata brought the Invictus around in a sharp turn, putting them directly behind the Heavy Cruiser, just as the cooling icon disappeared from the beam weapons on the weapon loadout display. Hana pulled the trigger and the beams cleaved into the shields, which flickered desperately as they tried to withstand the concentrated energy. The front mounted laser cannon turrets took over the work from the starboard facing ones and fired relentless fusillades of laser bolts into the back of the Stalingrad.

The Stalingrad pilot tried desperately to shift their stubborn pursuer, but they had neither the skill nor the manoeuvrability to shake them. The Stalingrad heavy cruiser returned fire, but now the Invictus was directly behind them and no longer in the broadside arcs of the beam lasers or heavy cannons, leaving only laser cannons able to attack. Still, the Stalingrad massed considerable banks of laser cannons in their rear arc and with not much room to dodge, a lot struck home.

"Shields at 46%!" Tenten replied, "They won't stay up much longer against that much firepower."

Hinata dipped the nose of the Invictus so that the entire top deck could open up on the rear of the bigger ship. 16 Laser Cannons spat a steady stream of laser bolts into the back of the Heavy Cruiser, causing the enemy shields to ripple with the repeated impacts. The Stalingrad opened up again and this time it was the front of the Invictus that was peppered with dozens of laser cannon blasts.

"Down to 15%!" Tenten cried out in alarm.

"We'll make it," Sasuke assured her.

Hana kept her crosshairs squarely over the Heavy Cruiser as her relentless barrage of laser cannon blasts kept up the pressure on the Stalingrad's shields.

"Nearly there..." she said softly, watching the tactical summary of the Stalingrad out of the corner of her eye and the predicted shield strength displayed next to the heavy cruiser.

Finally it was time.

"Pull up Hinata!" Hana demanded and her friend brought the nose of the Invictus up to face the rear of the Stalingrad, just as the cooling icon disappeared from the Beam Lasers on her weapon loadout hologram.

Hana narrowed her eyes in concentration and targeted an upraised tower on the back of the Heavy Cruiser. She pulled the trigger and six beams of coruscating energy lanced out from her ship and punched into the enemy shields, finally overloading them at long last. The beams from the Invictus seared onwards and slashed through the tower with a 6 clawed swipe, shearing the entire structure off the back of the Heavy Cruiser.

"Oh yeah..." Hana said, grinning with satisfaction.

The enemies rear facing laser cannon turrets powered down, the enemy fire control tower eviscerated by the brunette's precision shooting. The Stalingrad was now helpless and completely at their mercy.

"Incoming hail, Naruto," Sasuke announced.

"This ought to be good." Naruto hit the button to open the comm channel. A surprisingly tall man with tan skin, black hair, and sharpened teeth wearing a tricorn hat appeared above them.

"Momochi Zabuza, Pirate Lord at your service," he said in a scratchy voice, giving a flourishing bow reeking with insolence. "You seem to have me at somewhat of a disadvantage. May I request a parley?"

"Normally, I'd go for that sort of thing. Then I found out you sold at least 400 slaves to the Nuke. So now, I'm going to core your ship and leave you to burn," Naruto snarled.

"At least tell me the name of my would-be executioner, good sir," Zabuza asked, looking entirely too calm.

"Commander Uzumaki Naruto, and my crew is here to end you!"

"Be that as it may, you might want to hear what I have to say before you blow off anymore bits of my fine ship," Zabuza said, his shark's teeth bared in a smile.

"Well, spit it out, slaver," Naruto said while thinking *If I don't like his answer, blow his engines,* at Hana.

"The thing is, I didn't sell all my captives to the Nuke. I kept some as an insurance policy for just such a situation as this." Zabuza hit a button and a supposedly live feed of the Stalingrad's brig appeared. Dejected souls sat behind the force-fields in their cells, guarded over by two pirates with rifles.

"You, sir, are going to Hell. And I'm going to send you there," Naruto said, face as impassive as a statue. Mentally, he ordered *Hana, don't fire. Tenten, hack his systems and immobilize him. I want his ship slaved by the time Hinata and I get there in the dropship.*

*Yes, Alpha,* both agreed.

"I'll save you a spot by the fire, hypocrite," Zabuza said with a nasty smile. The comm channel cut off. The Stalingrad began to rush forward, away from the Invictus, only for the engines to suddenly die.

"Cut off their engines," Tenten reported, her fingers flying over her console. "Now I'm sabotaging their escape pods. After that, I'll slave their turrets, cut some of them down. There's also a self-destruct sequence that seems hardwired to an external switch. If I were Momochi, I'd make it a dead man's switch linked to my heartbeat. So try not to kill him, you two."

"Can't make any promises, but I'll try to save it for after we rescue the hostages." Naruto grabbed his XR73 Rifle with Telekinesis. "Honey, you're with me. Sasuke, keep an eye out for reinforcements. Hana, your job is done up here. Go ready Deck 4 for our new guests. We'll be back soon."

"Yes, Commander," they all verbally affirmed.

Naruto and Hinata made it down to the Nuke dropship, appreciating the lack of odor from Tenten sluicing it out. Hinata glided like a swan out the atmospheric force field of the Docking Bay, into the vastness of space.

"If I'd known we'd be doing this much combat this soon, I would have had my own shopping spree on Gravitus. Now for the question: would it be faster and/or cheaper to have Tenten adapt existing armor and weapons or make Uzu grade ones from scratch?"

"Option A. And you can always do it while I'm taking Sasuke and the girls clothes shopping." Hinata gave him a grin. "If it makes you feel better, I've done more combat in the last month than in the last 18 years combined!"

Naruto burst out laughing. "Thanks, baby, that really did help."

Hinata brought the Nuke dropship around to the hangar bay positioned in the underbelly of the Heavy Cruiser. She flew directly underneath the pirate vessel and then used manoeuvring thrusters to lift their ugly looking dropship up into the open mouth of the Stalingrad's hangar bay.

The dimly lit hangar bay looked to be deserted, so she brought their dropship forward and landed it on one of the empty pads. The two of them readied their rifles and then disembarked, sealing the door to the dropship behind them and covering the various doors into the hangar in case of surprise attacks.

*Where too?* Hinata said.

Naruto pressed a button on the computer built into the vambrace of his armour and a holographic map of the interior of the Heavy Cruiser sprung into existence.

"The brig is here," Naruto said, pointing to a location a few decks up from where they stood in the hangar.

"The Captain's quarters are here," Naruto said grimly, pointing to a spot near the top decks of the Stalingrad.

"Ok prisoners first, then we pay a visit to the Captain?" Hinata said enthusiastically.

"That's the plan," Naruto said and led her out of the hangar.

They moved along a corridor to an elevator currently coming down to their level. Naruto hit the call button and readied his XR73 Rifle. Hinata mimicked his actions. The elevator opened to reveal three scruffy pirates. They regarded the two of them with open-mouthed surprise.

"Going down?" Naruto quipped, before opening fire alongside his Matriarch. The pirates' blood formed puddles on the elevator floor. He and Hinata got in and hit the button for Deck 4. At Deck 5, the doors opened to reveal two pirates in a hurry to evacuate.

"Sorry, it's full," Hinata said sweetly before headshoting the both of them, at normal speed at that.

"I think I've been a bad influence on you," Naruto mused as they went up another Deck.

"If you're wrong, I don't want to be right," Hinata said honestly.

The walked out into Deck 4 only to hear the unmistakable sound of a Gatling Laser. They walked forward to an intersection and checked around the corner. Two pirates at a checkpoint were cooling in death, holes like Swiss cheese burned through them. The ceiling-mounted Gatling Laser gave a cheeky wave at them.

*Thanks, honey,* Naruto projected at Tenten.

*Momochi had a killbot in his room. He's busy packing away his nest egg, but he'll go for the remote if you confront him. He'll get a nasty surprise, then.* Naruto could practically see her evil grin. *By the way, I think he has a hostage in his room. There's no camera but he keeps randomly yelling at someone.*

*Roger.* Naruto refocused on entering the brig. He and Hinata gunned down the guard before he could blink. The prisoners stood up, peering from within their cells. Naruto pressed the button to free them, shutting down the force fields.

"I'm Commander Uzumaki Naruto. We're here to rescue you. Follow me, and those of you that can shoot grab guns from the dead."

There was a brief cheer from the prisoners before they followed suit. Hinata brought up the rear, and kept guard while Naruto led the first group down to the Docking Bay. When the prisoners were all packed in the Nuke dropship, Naruto and Hinata returned to the elevator and made for Deck 2.

Light spilled from the room at the end of the corridor, which the embossed nameplate at the side identified as the Captain's Quarters.

Naruto and Hinata walked cautiously forward, eyes focused on the movement coming from the room ahead and listening to the sound of boxes being moved about. They raised their assault rifles, ready to react in an instant, as the sound of someone's voice drifted down the hall to meet them.

"Commander Bloody Uzumaki..." the figure in the room ranted.

"Curse him all the way to Hades!" the angry man exclaimed.

"Can this one assist?" A high pitched voice asked curiously.

"Shut the fuck up!" The man snarled in irritation.

Naruto and Hinata finally got close enough to see a familiar figure frantically stacking crates together. He walked over to the left side of the room and bent over to pick up another crate.

*I am so tempted to put a bullet in his back, but I don't want a race to the dropship and hoping we make it out of range of the blast.* So saying, Naruto sent a wave of Psychic Sleep at Momochi Zabuza. He fell over from picking up his crate, causing a multitude of uncut jewels of startling size to spill over the floor.

*Now we know how the Nuke were paying him. They have no need for shiny rocks,* Hinata mused. *Now, was it me or was there a second voice?*

"Hello? Is anyone here?" Naruto called out, heading towards the bedroom. He had a sick suspicion he was about to run into Zabuza's 'bedwarmer'.

He blinked when he saw the figure laying on the bed. It had the face of either a pretty girl or a very pretty boy, with disproportionate eyes like an anime character. It had floor-length black hair that gleamed in the LED lights, and its torso was consumed by J-cup breasts. It's skin was snow-white. All in all, it looked like some odd blowup doll come to life.

"What are you, an android?" Naruto wondered aloud.

The creature blinked at him. "You defeated this one's last master. Are you this one's new master?"

"Um, Hinata? Come in here please," Naruto called.

Hinata walked in and blinked. "Holy shit!"

"This one needs a master!" The woman said in obvious distress.

"Up to you, babe. Okay with a surprise Thrall?" Naruto asked.

Hinata gave the creature a once over, including the pain and worry in its eyes. "I think she needs you more than we need her. But no harm in another pair of hands. I'm okay with it."

"You're in charge of recruitment. Okay, I'm your new master," Naruto stated.

The creature clapped her hands. Naruto suddenly felt the oddest sensation. It was as if a mental presence wrapped around his mind shield and took a cast of his being. There was a green shimmering from the creature and suddenly there was a naked Hinata on the bed.

Naruto's jaw dropped in awe and recognition. "She's a Nymph!"

"Like the elemental spirits that tempted the gods?" Hinata asked, confused and impressed by the display of shapeshifting. "You wouldn't happen to have any twin fantasies, do you?"

"We can address that later. For now, we need to haul ass back to the Invictus." Naruto turned to the Nymph. "What's your name?"

"This one was called 'bitch' or 'slut' by her last master," Hinata's doppelganger said with a smile.

"Well, take your natural form and we'll decide from that," Naruto commanded, feeling uneasy having effectively the perfectly obedient slave.

The girl shimmered again and was revealed to still have a Thrall's body. Only instead of tan skin, it was a jade green with viridian streaks that resembled tiger stripes. Her turquoise hair fell to her belly button, and her orange eyes were alight with joy.

Naruto raised a brow. "This is your NATURAL form?"

"It has been centuries since this one assumed her natural form. She has forgotten it. This is the form that feels most natural besides master's ideal form," she explained with a smile.

Naruto looked her over, trying not to be turned on by her glorious nudity. "I think I'll name you… Fu. It means happiness, and you seem quite joyful and young at heart."

The newly-christened Fu jumped and clapped. "Fu is very happy to have a new name. Will master claim Fu now?" She asked with a lusty expression.

"Nothing would please me more but the rest of your Pack is waiting for me back on my ship. Plus we have to get your old master and his prisoners to safety. I'll claim you tonight," Naruto promised when he saw her start to tear up.

"Okay, master!" Fu said brightly, her emotions turning on a ryo.

"You can call me Naruto, or Alpha if you prefer. Just don't call me master except in private," Naruto ordered.

"Yes, Alpha!"

Hinata shook her head, an involuntary grin on her face. *Oh, she's going to be a LOT of fun, I can tell. Now haul Momochi over your shoulder and let's get the hell out of here,* she thought.

Naruto complied, lifting the prostrate pirate with one hand and putting him in a fireman's carry. Fu seemed to shudder at his display of strength. They took the elevator down to the Docking Bay, where they heard gunshots. A handful of pirates was trying to break into the dropship, the freed prisoners returning fire with their stolen weapons. Hinata mowed the pirates down from behind and led the party onto the dropship. The 15 prisoners were taken aback by the nude form of Fu and all but hissed at the unconscious form of Zabuza.

"Rest assured, people, he will face Konoha Federation justice. Now, let's get the fuck off this terrible ship!" Naruto called from the co-pilot's chair, Fu sitting distractingly in his lap.

There was a ragged cheer as Hinata lifted up the dropship and flew down and out of the Stalingrad, never to return.

* * *

**And that's Fu joined the crew. For those who are interested, the next Thrall will be male and Suna, but I won't hint who it is. He's a couple chapters away, anyway, so let's focus on Fu for now, shall we?**


	17. Chapter 17

**Short filler piece today. But this is the price of daily updates.**

* * *

*We picked up a guest,* Naruto projected over the Pack mind and to Tenten.

*Come again? How'd that happen?* Sasuke wondered.

*As in, a guest in OUR bedroom? I want deets,* Hana projected.

*The green Amazon I presume. Just couldn't resist some alien pussy, could you stud?* Tenten teased.

*All will be explained once we put the prisoners and Zabuza away.*

*I actually managed to fashion something out of spare components I found in storage. It's a shock collar. I can program it to keep him stuck in a room on either Deck 2 or Deck 4.*

*Zabuza is going on Deck 2. If we left him on Deck 4 he wouldn't survive and his life belongs to the courts now. Plus we don't need the Stalingrad blowing up while we're towing it back to Heracles.* Naruto reached a hand to stop Fu from fondling his crotch. "Later, now behave," he instructed the verdant girl.

"Yes master," she said obediently, which drew the eyes of some of the prisoners.

"What did I say about saying that word?" Naruto ground out in irritation.

Fu visibly tensed. "Fu is sorry m-Naruto. This one will accept whatever punishment you deem necessary. This one is very durable," she said, clearly expecting a neural whipping or worse.

"It's okay, you're allowed one mistake. Just don't forget again," Naruto said, his rage vanishing due to her reaction.

Hinata landed them in the Docking Bay of the Invictus, and the prisoners happily followed Naruto (with Zabuza attached), Hinata, and Fu out the Nuke dropship into the air-conditioned interior of the Assault Cruiser.

Naruto turned to address the miners and traders that had been kidnapped by Zabuza's band. "Everyone, you are safe now. You are under the protection of the Uzumaki Pack of the Invictus."

"Thank you Commander," called out one of the men, earning a round of applause.

Naruto rubbed his neck with his free hand. "Just doing our job, folks. We should be at Port Heracles in about… ten hours. Until then, you'll be housed on Deck 4," Naruto explained, getting the answer mentally from Hinata.

"You won't need the guns anymore, so leave them in a pile by the door," Hinata added. They entered the chamber between the Docking Bay and Cargo Bay and found Hana waiting to lead the prisoners to their quarters. She managed to fit all 15 in one ride, with the three Pack members waiting to take the elevator to Deck 2.

On the deck where they slept, Tenten found them and helpfully guided them to the room she'd set up with an invisible fence for Zabuza's shock collar. He was beginning to stir on the bed as they left him. They joined Hana in the elevator going up to the Command Deck, where Sasuke was maintaining watch.

"Thanks for maintaining your post, Sasuke. Everyone, tow the Stalingrad with the tractor beam and then take us for Port Heracles. We have 15 hostages and a criminal to drop off. Someone patch me through to the Indomitable, please," Naruto requested.

Sasuke tapped away at his console and with the push of a button, Captain Flintlock appeared.

"Commander Uzumaki! I was just starting to worry about you. Any news?"

"We were ambushed with a second's warning, but we came out on top. The Stalingrad was rigged to blow so we boarded and incapacitated Momochi Zabuza. We're now towing the Stalingrad back to Port Heracles along with the hostages Zabuza kept. Our ETA is 10 hours."

"What a coincidence, so is ours. I told you this Hive ship would slow us to a crawl. We'll have a hero's welcome when we return, this particular band has been a thorn in the K-Fed's side for months." Flintlock's expression twisted. "I'm afraid I have bad news: Gato escaped."

"What? How is that possible? Was he tipped off?" Naruto demanded.

"We're still investigating. He seems to have embezzled a significant chunk of change on top of whatever the pirate's were paying him. With those resources, he could be anywhere," Flintlock said.

Naruto was almost tempted to let Hana and Sasuke loose on the case, but decided against it. A rat like Gato wasn't worth the effort. "Very well. I'll work on my After Action Report and have it ready by the time we get to Heracles. Pleasure serving with you, Captain."

"You too, Uzumaki. I'll make sure word of your actions get to High Command. See you tonight." With that, the channel cut out.

"Fu is very impressed with master holding his ground before a higher rank. May Fu reward master?" Fu asked, an invisible tail practically wagging behind her.

"Seriously, who is this chick?" Hana asked.

"Let me try something," Naruto said. He turned to face Fu. "I order you to be free. You need no master."

"Whatever master says!" Fu chirped like a tropical bird.

Naruto sighed. "Well, I tried. Everyone, to the Briefing Room."

The six of them filed into the room off the Bridge, taking their traditional seats. Fu seemed put out to be sitting next to Hana instead of Naruto, but she didn't complain since Naruto told her to sit there.

"First off, well done during that ambush, everyone. I doubt that any other ship in the Navy could have done as well as we did. Sasuke, your insights were invaluable. Hana, your shooting was top-notch. Tenten, you altered the energy outputs like a pro. Hinata, your piloting was amazing. I'm extremely proud of all of you and I love you all to pieces. I consider it an honor to be your Alpha," Naruto gave his speech, praise in every word.

Fu tilted her head and looked at Sasuke. "Master sleeps with men, too? This one might be able to grow a penis, if that would be more appealing to him."

"Interesting as it would be to have a futanari on the crew, don't feel you have to alter yourself for my benefit. Only take your 'most comfortable' form when I or Hinata allow it," Naruto ordered. "Which brings us to Fu. We found her in Zabuza's bedroom. She's a Nymph, or a Taki as they're technically called."

Sasuke's eyes widened. "She's a Nymph, you say? She must be worth billions on the black market. I wonder if she was part of the Nuke's payment or if he bought her for himself."

"Question: what's a Taki? Asteroid bumpkin, remember?" Tenten spoke up.

"We covered them in Xeno-Biology in the Academy. They come from the planet Taki in the Taki star system at the edge of our border with the Suna. They're each a psychic shapeshifter, all-female race that transform into the ideal body of whatever man they imprint on." Hana bit her lip. "Naturally, when it came out there was a race of women that turn into your ideal mate, there was a rush on Taki. The Nymphs have been hunted and traded into near extinction in the 300 years since the discovery of Taki."

"300 years?" Tenten asked surprised.

"They're immortal unless their heart crystal is shattered. They're more psychic cyborgs than flesh. My gut says they were designed by an Uzu in a Genesis Chamber," Naruto explained his theory.

"The machine that basically 3D prints a lifeform? You mean the Uzu can create whole species? What if they're responsible for the entire Galactic League?" Hinata asked.

"It puts a chill in the bones, I have to say." Sasuke regarded Fu. "How old are you? Do you remember Taki?"

"This one does not remember how old she is. Fu just knows she is very old. She remembers the plains and forests of Taki. She remembers her first master, and the one after him, and the one after him. Fu has been a prize for the last 300 years," Fu said brightly.

"Do you remember being born? Do you remember a man with ears like mine?" Naruto pressed, hungry for answers.

"Fu is sorry, master, she cannot remember. But master feels…Familiar." Fu had a troubled look on her face.

"One way to really find out. I can take a deep dive into her memories," Hinata volunteered.

"None of us have ever done that before. You'd be flying blind," Hana worried.

"Got to start somewhere," Hinata said. She turned to Naruto, a determined set to her face.

Her Alpha sighed and nodded. "Okay."

Grinning, Hinata turned to Fu. "This may sting just a little," the bluenette warned. Then she Spirit-Walked and flew straight into Fu's head.

She was in there for 10 minutes, which was an eternity at psychic speeds. Naruto was about to jump in after her when she returned to her body.

"Whoa, what a rush," she muttered. "Fu here is a lot older than 300. She was born over 10,000 years ago by my estimate. And you'll never guess who she met!" Hinata looked up and purple light blasted out of her eyes as she utilized Psychic Projection.

The Invictus's crew looked up at an amazing scene. They were in a magnificent throne room, full of gold and crystal. The hall was filled with short, green, catlike creatures.

"Oh, yes, Fu remembers now," she said, shimmering into a 5'2 catgirl before shimmering back into her Thrall body.

A man was seated on the elegant throne. He had pale skin, waist-length black hair, yellow eyes with purple bags under them, and most importantly had pointed ears. He was dressed in exquisite robes that he wore casually, and a blue-skinned, white-haired woman sat on the arm of his throne, clearly either a favored Thrall or his Matriarch.

"And so, in recognition of your service to the Orochimaru Empire, I am gifting you your own planet! Be free to roam and hunt to your hearts' content! Be grateful that I am a generous master!" The Uzu proclaimed.

His female companion rolled her eyes and batted his shoulder. "Orochi, darling, don't be arrogant. They've earned this fair and square."

"Whatever you say, Guren my love," Orochimaru said with an expression of infinite fondness on his face.

"Yes, Master!" Chorused the Taki, apparently the entire population.

At that, Hinata ended the projection. She blinked rapidly. "Wow, that's hard on your eyes. Anyone got any eye drops?"

"I think we just witnessed history," Hana said, shell-shocked. "An Uzu giving away a planet."

"I thought they were pathalogical bastards, but he sure seemed lovey-dovey with that Guren. Never seen her species before in my life," Sasuke mused.

"Nice to know the family tree isn't immune to Damascene conversions," Naruto said faintly, blown away at having seen another proper member of his race.

"The love of a good woman can change any man," Hinata said wisely. "Now to the real question: are you going to break in Tenten like you promised or feed Fu here?"

Fu sat up straight. "This one would very much like master to claim her mouth!"

"A deal is a deal, Uzumaki," Tenten said with a grin.

Naruto held up his hands. "Luckily, I can do both. First, Tenten. Then Fu. She can get a look at my style before she tries it for herself."

"Fu is okay with this. Fu would love to see the Alpha claim one of his mates," Fu chirped.

"Then I guess it's a party in the Commander's Quarters!" Tenten cheered before dashing for the door.

"Tempted as I am to watch, our guests need supervising. I'll check up on each of them and make sure they get a hot meal in the Mess." Sasuke got up and left for the elevator on his own.

"I'll man the Bridge. The odds of there being a secret group of pirates are low but better safe than sorry. Keep me posted with the Pack mind though," Hana said before leaving for her Tactical Chair.

"Fu, come with me and Hinata. We're going to show you our main bedroom," Naruto ordered gently, recognizing Fu wouldn't even think of acting independently unless commanded by her master.

"Fu is very excited!" The green girl chirped, practically bouncing as she walked.

"I think we found out new cheerleader. She's just so perky!" Hinata marveled.

The three of them took the elevator down to Deck 2. They could hear Zabuza repeatedly screaming in pain as he tried to run out the room or tear off his shock collar. They left him to his own misery and opened the doors to the Commander's Quarters. Of all the sights to appreciate, the greatest was Tenten writhing around a Psychic Construct she somehow was managing to maintain despite it being balls-deep in her pussy.

*Figured I'd get warmed up for you,* she projected coquettishly at Naruto.

Naruto grinned and slipped out of his armor and clothes. Fu literally drooled when she saw his naked muscles and let out a little cry when she saw his Alpha Uzu cock.

"I know, we're so lucky to have him for our master. I'd rather be his slave than queen of the universe," Hinata whispered in the Nymph's ear. She began to fondle her breasts and finger her drooling quim. "Let's keep you primed so you'll cum when he ejaculates down your throat."

While Hinata laid claim to the newest crew member, Naruto got on the bed. With a mild concentration, he cast a small Null-Zone over the bed and vanished Tenten's psionic dildo.

Tenten pouted. "Hey, I was close."

"Then this should set you off," Naruto growled before thrusting in until his quad was nestled against her ass. Tenten indeed came between the stimulation of being filled by the biggest dick she'd ever seen and the psychic feedback the Astral Bond provided.

"Now to prove why I'm the Alpha, not Sasuke," Naruto growled like a beast. Then, droping the Null-Zone, Naruto engaged Psychic Speed and began to pound Tenten like a jackhammer.

"Ho-o-ly fu-u-ck!" Tenten ululated as she became victim of a never-ceasing string of orgasms. Feeling that big, hard length vacate her and punch into her womb multiple times a second was like having her nerves hooked up to an electric stimulator. She became lost in a sea of pleasure, and the only thing to cling to was Naruto's hot bulk.

Fu came just from watching, which she was doing with one eye while eating out Hinata. Hinata just smiled like the cat with the cream, knowing Tenten had learned that Naruto was an unquestionable sex god.

After five minutes and at least a dozen orgasms, Naruto cut the Psychic Speed to unload into Tenten, his four balls giving up a prodigious load after a subjective eternity of stimulation. Tenten groaned as she felt her womb pumped full of spunk for the first time, her exhausted body giving up one last orgasm to suck it all out of the cock in her pussy. When it was over, Naruto was leaning over her, curving over her swollen tummy, looking down at her with a look of such tender affection that Tenten could only say one thing.

"I love you. I know it's only been a week but I am so fucking in love with you. Don't ever leave me," she begged.

Naruto planted a kiss on her lips. "I'm not going anywhere. We'll be together forever and ever, or at least a few centuries. Sound good?"

"Yeah," Tenten said with sleepy contentment. "Let me feed this load to Hinata then I'm taking a nap. That Future Sight was a real power hog."

"Okay, honey. Babe? You done using MY Nymph?" Naruto called without looking behind his back.

"AAH!... Now I am. I think Tenten and I might be ready for an Astral Bonding! We'll do that then take a nap. You feed this gorgeous girl so she can join the Pack," Hinata said, taking her hand off Fu's head. She jumped into the bed and got under the covers to suck out Naruto's load from Tenten's womb.

Naruto used Psychic Healing and was raring to go again. He turned his prong towards Fu, whose mouth was sticky with Hinata's juices. Naruto sat down in one of the chairs and crooked his finger at the alien slave. She literally crawled over to him.

"Fu was most impressed with master's display of power and dominance over Tenten. Can master claim Fu like that someday?" She asked eagerly.

"Sure. But for now, I've heard wonderful rumors about the oral skills of the Nymphs," Naruto said leadingly, flexing his cock to make it jump.

"Master is so virile and potent!" Fu exclaimed before taking him down her throat without warning. Naruto cried out at the sudden stimulation. Fu's skin was slightly cooler to the touch than a Konoha or Uzu but was much warmer on the inside. It provided a thrilling contrast, especially when Fu began to ripple her throat in a way no human could recreate. It felt like he was being stroked by a dozen eager young hands at once.

Naruto enjoyed the sounds of Hinata lapping from Tenten and the feel of Fu's throat around his cock. Compared to his rush to the finish line with Tenten, he allowed Fu to draw him to a long, drawn-out climax.

Naruto was surprised when he felt one of the compartments in his mind come alive with a glowing representation of Fu. Well, as a species directly designed for an Uzu's use, the Taki would be particularly sensitive to Uzu cum. Naruto immediately focused his intentions on building her mental strength and independence. Cute as her quirk of speaking in the third-person was, he wanted her to develop into her own person instead of just being a slave.

The second surprise came when a ring of light expanded from Fu's distended middle. It spread out from her belly button and stretched to her fingertips. A second ring of light expanded, and then a third, until the Nymph's skin was its own light show.

"Huh. Guess she gets 'upgraded' with each load she receives," Naruto mused. He picked the catatonic Nymph and placed her on the bed under the covers next to Hinata and Tenten staring into each other's glowing eyes.

Naruto went for the Kitchen, feeling like combining lunch and dinner into one big meal. *What do you guys like on your pizza?* He asked the Pack mind.

*Pepperoni and mushrooms," Hana reported. *All clear up here, by the way.*

*Chicken and broccoli with white sauce, please. And it was very awkward having to cum in my pants while I was serving our guests some stew,* Sasuke snarked.

*Sorry, babe, that was inconsiderate. I'll lick the mess out of your briefs later, I promise,* Naruto promised. He made it to the kitchen and began to scratch-make the pizza dough, preparing the ingredients for everyone else's individual pizzas. He was getting a supreme, Hinata was a closet carnivore so she was getting a meat lovers, and Tenten was still sampling all the different vegetables and would get a veggie pizza. Fu, of course, had already eaten.

At 1700, the crew walked into the Officer's Lounge except for Fu who was still in the first 14 hours of sleep.

"Would you consider recruiting a professional chef or would you miss it too much?" Sasuke asked humorously.

Naruto set his pizza down at his place and gave his Patriarch a kiss. "We'd be co-chefs, at best. We could try to use my cum as an ingredient. Would you prefer a male or female?"

"We are getting a bit uneven in the gender ratio. Unless we get another surprise like Fu, I say the next Thrall should be male. Though I had my heart set on Sakura," Hinata said after taking her seat at his right hand.

"Yeah, three men. Then we can have a proper gangbang!" Tenten cheered.

The crew tucked into the pizza, which like everything Naruto made was delicious. "So, how are our guests?" Naruto asked.

"They're going to be better off than the ones that were on the Nuke Hive ship, but some of them are definitely shaken from their experience with captivity," Sasuke analyzed. "Oddly, the women and some of the men got tongue-tied when I tried to talk to them. They couldn't even look at me. Surprisingly, being super beautiful gets you the same reactions as being super ugly."

"Grass is always greener, I guess," Tenten said around a bite of veggie goodness. "I never thought something so healthy could taste so good. I think it's the melted cheese. That makes everything better."

They finished up and decided to relax in the Lounge until they arrived at Heracles around midnight. Tenten proved to be just as vulnerable to vodka spritzers as Hinata, and was revealed to be a weepy drunk. Hinata volunteered to look after her while the two retirees and questionable absentee from the Navy went up to the Bridge. They got into their chairs just as they pulled into the Nerus system, the home of Port Heracles.

"Approaching Assault Cruiser, please state your purpose at Port Heracles," came the standard response on the intercom.

"Commander Uzumaki Naruto on the Invictus, towing the decommissioned Heavy Cruiser Stalingrad and carrying 15 hostages of pirates and the pirate leader himself, Momochi Zabuza."

That got a response. "Patching you through to Commander Steeran Clive," the comm officer said breathlessly.

The audio-only channel was replaced with a vid-feed. A balding middle-aged man appeared above them in hologram. "Commander Steeran Clive, new Commander of Port Heracles. I understand I have you to thank for my recent promotion!"

"Commander Uzumaki Naruto, but you can call me Naruto. Just wanted that slime Gato to answer for his crimes. Shame he slipped away."

"You've become a bit of a hero around here, Naruto! I got medical teams on standby at Docking Bay 4 to take your hostages and your prisoner. And I've been asked to request that you do a little fluff piece for the news. Nothing big, just a story about how you and the Indomitable took out the pirates and the Nuke. You up for it?"

"Sure! Send me the contact info and I'll do it in my Ready Room. I'll upload my AAR while I'm at it. My team will supervise the transfer of the hostages and Momochi."

"You staying long at Heracles?"

"No, we're enroute for Olympus Shipyard. We just came to drop off the Stalingrad and our guests."

"Well, let me know the next time you come our way, and we'll roll out the welcome mat! Over and out!" With that, Clive cut off the transmission.

"I'll give the interview now. Try and dock us without crashing into anything. Maybe we can make Fu a dedicated Pilot so it doesn't always fall on Hinata," Naruto ordered.

"No need. She's a handful when she's drunk but she goes out like a light." Hinata plopped in her XO Chair. "Now, let's guide these two hulks into Docking Bay 4. Hana, Sasuke, you gather our guests. I took the liberty of knocking out Zabuza."

The Pack went about their respective tasks, Sasuke having as easy a time hauling Zabuza as Naruto had. The medical teams happily strapped him down to an anti-grav stretcher. The hostages gave heartfelt thanks to Sasuke and Hana before they were swept away by the medical things. Meanwhile, Naruto had a pleasant chat with one Ichiraku Ayame, junior reporter for KFNN.

Once they disgorged the non-Pack members of the Invictus, Hinata detached them from the docking clamps, leaving the Stalingrad in its own clamps. Hinata made for the Nav Beacon, and then retraced the path she'd calculated three weeks ago, getting them to Olympus Shipyard in four days.

Once everyone was done, they went to the shower for a long rinse and splurged by having a long soak in the tub.

"This is the life. Good friends, good sex, good combat. All I ever wanted when I was a Marine," Naruto sighed.

"You didn't really get to have sex while you were on the Invictus last time. Cameras everywhere and non-fraternization policy," Sasuke pointed out.

"Oh, I had my ways," Naruto said with a foxy grin. "That time O'Neill called in sick? Or Veronica?"

Hinata giggled at Sasuke's scandalized expression. "Think about it, Sasuke. If you were locked on a ship with hotties like us and was told you weren't allowed to fuck them, wouldn't you find a way around it?"

"... Point taken," Sasuke said, dropping his mouth below the water's surface.

"Stickler for the rules, ain't ya? You didn't mind my illegal hacking earlier," Tenten teased.

"So, shall we discuss our new crewmate? She should be up at 0600 tomorrow. I for one find her very bubbly but I'm at a loss for what to do with her," Naruto brought up.

"A couple dozen meals and she'll be a super-genius and adaptable as I am. I think your Pilot idea is a good one. Her brain must be wired differently, that may help her," Hinata reasoned.

"What did you mean when you mentioned her 'most comfortable' form? You mean Naruto's ideal woman? Who did she become?" Tenten asked.

"Me," Hinata admitted with a blush.

"Oh that's so sweet!" Hana gushed. At Naruto's questioning look, she elaborated "I know you love each of us individually, but it's clear as day that you two are soulmates. You just agreed to share each other."

"Well, if and when we visit your family, let's say that you and I are soulmates. They don't need to know you're in an alien's bisexual harem," Naruto reasoned.

"I'm certainly never telling Itachi or my parents. My mother would faint and my father would have an aneurysm. And Itachi just might insist on joining to keep an eye on me," Sasuke shuddered.

Naruto got a considering look in his eyes. "Itachi, an Admiral… that has possibilities."

"Naruto, if you love me, you will never mention that concept again," Sasuke said, looking decidedly green.

"He's just joking. If we really go for the Manchurian Candidate route for the K-Fed, we'll use a different Admiral. You won't have to commit incest with your brother." Hinata pressed a foot into his crotch. "Can we take your mind off it?"

And thus Sasuke found himself the sole focus if three women and Naruto. He wound up balanced on Naruto's chest with his cock up his ass, Hinata riding his face with Tenten riding him and Hana sucking on his balls. He had the biggest orgasm of his life, then passed out curled around the comatose Nymph, his Pack arranged around them.

Sasuke was awoken around 0600 by the feel of an angel's or succubus's throat around his cock. He moaned and released almost before he realized he was cumming. His orgasm awoke those in the Pack mind, including Tenten through Hinata. They all sat up to see Fu with a guilty expression.

"Fu wanted to taste master's Sasuke. This one hopes that was okay," she said worriedly.

"It's fine, Fu. Just remember to ask permission. Everyone had the right to refuse you touch their body, even you," Naruto encouraged. He rose a brow. "Out of curiosity, can you try to read Sasuke's mind and transform for him?"

"Sasuke is not Fu's master but Fu will try," she said. She focused for a minute and Sasuke felt the feeling of being cast that Naruto had felt. She shimmered and suddenly there was a Konoha girl on the bed. Her hair was a rich rose pink and fell to her waist, and she had a Thrall's body.

Hinata and Naruto blinked. "Naruto, am I going crazy or is that…"

"A Thrall Sakura? No, I see her too."

Hana clapped her hands. "So you two met Sasuke's perfect woman! We definitely have to recruit her now!"

"We can call her this morning," Tenten offered, fine with knowing her main love interest wasn't her perfect match. This lack of jealousy thing was handy.

They got dressed and had breakfast, Fu getting the honor of emptying Naruto's balls so she could become an Uzu hybrid. She passed out, the narcotic in his pre heavy on her tongue. The crew had some fresh-made muffins for breakfast and then made for the Bridge to see their potential next recruit.

Hinata typed in the number she'd memorized from the card the sale clerk had given her. There was a short wait as the signal crossed the intervening light-years. And then an image of Sakura wearing glasses in some kind of dorm room appeared. Her face lit up when she saw Hinata's smiling face.

"Hinata! I've been waiting for your call. You and Naruto back on Gravitus?"

"We're about 3 and a half days away. Are you free that evening?" Hinata asked with a smile.

Sakura's face fell. "Damn, bad timing. My last final is that evening. Afterwards, I'll just want to go to sleep, I'm afraid."

"I didn't realize you were in school," Naruto said, impressed.

"Yeah, the Academy, Medic specialization. I ship out for the Dragon March next week if I survive these exams." Sakura sighed. "Speaking of which, I really should be studying."

"Remember to take breaks to eat and decompress," Sasuke said, enchanted. He'd been unable to look away from Sakura the whole vid-call.

Sakura blinked. "You, I don't know."

"Uchiha Sasuke, at your service," Sasuke said gallantly.

*We may be witnessing the beginning of love, here,* Naruto projected to his female companions.

"Well, I'll consider your advice. Thank you again, Naruto and Hinata, for the commission. It covered two months of my rent and food costs!"

"Happy to help." With that, the transmission cut out.

"And she's a doctor! We're definitely recruiting her now," Hana burst out.

Naruto grinned. "I think you're right!"

* * *

**Again, the next Thrall is a male Suna. But the one after him is Sakura, the Invictus's future Medical Officer. Please fave, follow, or review****.**


	18. Chapter 18

**We get to meet Itachi in this chapter. And Shino, of course. And the crew get a surprise gift for defeating the pirates.**

* * *

"Now, let's discuss something important we should have yesterday," Naruto instructed. "Hana, how do you feel now that the pirates are defeated?"

Hana took a deep breath. "It feels… done. When you healed me, you got rid of the physical pain. But turning Momochi makes it feel like the emotional pain is gone too." She turned to them all. "I want to thank each of you for putting yourselves at risk for my sake. That was incredibly sweet of you."

"Of course we did it, we love you," Hinata said with a grin.

"And someone had to stomp out the pirates, it might as well have been us. We're small but we're probably the most capable crew in the Galactic League." Sasuke turned to Naruto. "If you could eat your own cum and boost your brain the way you've done ours, I'd be honestly scared of you."

"Sadly, that's not an option for me. Hardwired gag reflex to the taste of my own cum. So I'll just have to be the muscle on the crew."

Tenten clapped her hands and stood up. "Well, I'm getting back to investigating the Nuke tech. It's nothing on Uzu tech but I can work out some upgrades to standard Konoha tech we can sell if you want."

"Don't forget to do your shopping for you workshop. You have a blank check to buy whatever you want," Naruto reminded.

"Hana and I will go to the Firing Range, work on our stuff so we can get as good as Hinata," Sasuke said. "We don't need anyone manning the Bridge in the heart of Konoha territory, and the day we do is the day I'll happily help you tear it all down."

"I agree to that. I want to learn how to shoot around walls like Hinata can," Hana said.

"You can shoot around walls?" Naruto asked, amazed.

"It needs a high wind environment, but yes. You just calculate the drag on the bullet," she said nonchalantly. "You and I are free until Fu wakes up around lunch. Feel like another psychic duel?"

"Just no throwing the machines with Telekinesis like last time, those would be a pain to replace," Naruto agreed.

They all separated for their self-assigned tasks. Tenten stripped off every maintenance panel on the dropship, disassembled a Neutron Rifle to put it back together, and stripped the corpses of their lightweight armor to analyze it. By the end, she could have given a college seminar on Nuke tech, at least for those three particular inventions. Extrapolating how bigger versions of the Neutron Rifle worked was a breeze. Sasuke and Hana unloaded hundreds of rounds of caseless hollow point ammo in the Firing Range, their confidence and accuracy rising in direct correlation to each other. Naruto and Hinata had a spar at Psychic Speed, with other psychic powers and tactics thrown in. Hinata used Psychic Ice to create a fog, which Naruto dispelled with Wind Manipulation. When they clashed physically, Hinata was as skilled and competent at close quarters combat as Naruto himself. Eventually, his greater strength even using Psychic Strength made him victorious. And they both knew what they'd been sparing for. Hinata cried out in delight as Naruto plundered her ass.

When Hinata was walking bowlegged and with a heavy bump, they walked back up to the Commander's Quarters. Fu was just beginning to stir. She noted Hinata's gravid state and perked up. "Fu would very much like to drink master's load!"

"It's not in my belly or my pussy. It's in my ass," Hinata warned her.

"This one does not care!" she said without a trace of a lie.

Taken aback, Naruto and Hinata shared a glance. "Well, if you're both okay with it," Naruto said leadingly. And thus Fu drank her third load out of Hinata's bumhole. She smacked her lips and seemed to remember something. "Oh, master, Fu has excellent news. Master and Fu are genetically compatible!"

Naruto raised a brow. "Really? Well, it the Taki were made by this Orochimaru fellow, makes sense he would key them to Uzu genetics for breeding."

"So all the Taki are sisters and cousins?" Hinata asked, feeling the same odd feeling she'd had when she thought about Uzu breeding their Thralls to make more.

"We were sisters! Now, would master like to breed with Fu?" Fu asked with a doe-eyed expression.

Naruto gave her a hug, noting that her stomach had begun to light up. "I'd be happy to, Fu, but not now. Our position is too vulnerable. But I'll knock you and all my women up at the same time when we're ready, I promise you. Rest assured, we'll repopulate the Taki. I intend to keep you barefoot and pregnant for centuries if not millennia."

Fu seemed to have a tiny orgasm at his words. "Master is so generous and kind to Fu. Ooh! This has never happened to Fu before!" she exclaimed, just now noticing the rings of light radiating from her engorged belly. "This one feels master's power suffusing her. Fu loves her new master!"

Naruto was put on the spot. "And I care for you very deeply given how little we've known each other. When I mean it, I'll say it, I swear."

"This one does not expect her master's love. Fu is just happy to have a kind master," the Nymph said, looking utterly content with her lot.

"Well, we're about to cook lunch for everyone. Feel free to accompany us," Naruto said before leaving the room, Fu trotting faithfully after him. Hinata reflected that for a girl with feline DNA, she was very dog-like. Naruto made a piping hot lasagna with a Bolognese sauce his grandmother had taught him. Everyone faithfully reported to the dining table and took their assigned seats.

"How's things going in the Firing Range?" Naruto asked around a mouthful of pasta.

"We're both hitting headshots and bull's-eyes in 20 MPH headwinds. Once we master crosswinds, then I'll consider us as good as we're going to get," Sasuke said, daintily cutting his portion into cubes.

"I'm learning to fight like my brothers, and now I can shoot better than my brothers or mom! I'm becoming the best Inuzuka!" Hana cheered herself.

"I got everything I can out of the Nuke. We can space the bodies, though I'd keep one in cryo for when Sakura joins and she can dissect it. Their armor is an organic polymer I'm pretty sure they grow, easy enough to recreate with a high-end fabricator. The Neutron Rifles are interesting but nothing on standard laser weaponry, let alone Quantum weaponry. The dropship is just a dropship, I could design a better one in my sleep. We can keep it if you want, but I'd trade it to R&D for a K-Fed equivalent. I'll spend the afternoon finalizing my order from the Engineers' Almanac. I should ship it to Olympus Shipyard care of you, right?" Tenten ranted.

"Yes, that should do it. Anyone want to join me in the pool after we digest this? It doesn't feel right without more than one person in it."

Hinata took a deep breath. "I can breathe underwater and I can fly, I've got no business being scared of a pool of water. I'm in."

"I still want to work out my Ballistics skills," Hana admitted, sorry to disappoint her lover.

"Same," Sasuke grunted.

"This one will join master. Fu does not remember if she can swim but she can try!" The Nymph seemed quite eager to follow Naruto wherever he went.

The green hued girl showed no fear as she sat by the edge of the pool and Naruu glided back and forth, his body moving rapidly through the water with powerful strokes of his arms. Fu admired his physical form and felt giddy with happiness at the unexpected turn for the better her life had suddenly taken so recently. She glanced down at her rounded stomach, seeing the ethereal green lines radiating outwards and spreading over her body, leaving her quivering with excitement. Hinata hesitantly used the breaststroke to go from one end of the pool to the other, lacking the confidence to dip her face underwater.

Naruto spent a few hours really trying to push his body to the limit, as he surged his way through the water. Finally getting tired, he reached the shallow end and looked up at Fu who was watching him attentively. He noticed that her stomach had returned to its normal slim shape and she sat on the edge of the pool looking lithe and athletic.

"Come and join us," Naruto encouraged.

A lovely grin spread across the girl's face, her white teeth sparking brightly in contrast to the mysterious lustre of her dark green lips. She slipped smoothly into the shallow water with confidence and glided over towards him, smiling happily.

Naruto opened his arms and she wrapped herself around him, sighing with contentment.

"Hello," he said, smiling at her and enjoying the feel of her body as she brushed against him, before leaning in to give her a kiss.

Fu kissed him back hungrily, eager to feel his touch against her. Reluctantly Naruto pulled away from the enthusiastic Nymph, much to the protestations of his cock, which had risen eagerly to attention.

"You aren't going to be able to do much swimming if we keep this up." Naruto said to her playfully.

"This one doesn't mind. Fu would love to be joined with master!" the green girl purred excitedly.

Hinata swam over to them and snorted. "Not without the rest of us there to watch. It's kind of a given that we make first times a spectator event."

"Fu understands. All of master's mates should be present when he claims a new one." Fu blushed green. "Master agreed to breed this one one day. Will master give Fu a daughter or a son?"

"I thought Nymphs were all female?" Naruto thought aloud.

"Master is an Uzu. Master can have a Nymph daughter or an Uzu son from Fu. Fu remembers now," Fu offered helpfully.

Naruto's mind raced. "Did you have any children with Orochimaru? The Uzu that made you?"

"Fu does not think so. Fu would remember being pregnant." Fu hugged herself to him even tighter.

*Well, this has been fascinating. But you came here to swim, so let's swim,* Naruto projected into her mind.

Fu shuddered. "Master honors Fu to touch minds with her's. Fu will swim now." With that she took off at a speed that if Naruto didn't know better would have thought was Psychic Speed. Belatedly, Naruto went after her while Hinata hauled herself out to sit on the edge of the pool.

Naruto pushed himself faster, going as fast as he was able to and was astounded that Fu was able to keep up with him. Suddenly, delicate aquamarine coloured fins rippled into place on her arms and legs and she shot ahead of him, cutting through the water like a knife. Fu reached the end of the length, flipped to kick off the end of the pool and then submerged completely, her body undulating as she scythed through the water like some kind of lithe, athletic fish. Naruto stopped open mouthed in shock as the girl flashed back and forth under the water in a green blur. She eventually surged out of the water, flipping in the air before diving back down, the surface of the pool barely making a ripple when she descended beneath its surface.

Jade swam up to him and appeared at his side, her firm breasts heaving on her chest with her excitement.

"Looks like your shapeshifting isn't limited to just becoming Hinata!" Naruto observed. "How were you able to do that?"

"Fu does not know, master. Fu was just swimming and felt an… urge. She went with it and these appeared!" Fu marveled at least as much as her audience.

"Can you put them back or are they permanent?" Hinata asked worriedly. She blinked and focused. "You have gills too!"

Fu focused for a second and her aquatic additions vanished back into her skin. She still tread water like a pro though.

"I think someone earned their first time." Naruto purred. *Everyone, to the bedroom.*

Naruto had led Fu back up to his quarters, the other Pack members getting comfortable, and they were now lying on his bed, with Fu on her back and him lying to her side. She looked up at him adoringly and he felt a little daunted when faced with such unquestioning obedience and reverence. He had rescued the girl from captivity at the hands of the pirate lord but in Naruto's opinion his other lovers all shared in the responsibility for that rescue, so it felt wrong for the alien girl to devote herself so completely at him. He sighed, realising that it was just the way that Nymph's were and he resolved to do his very best to make sure she had a wonderful time here with them on the ship.

He began to trace the lightly glowing curves that highlighted the girl's breasts, making her breath catch as her nipples hardened with arousal. Naruto kissed Fu briefly on the lips, then moved away quickly, trailing kisses down her slender neck. He moved further down nibbling, licking and kissing her skin softly and gently causing excited little gasps from the Nymph. Taking an erect nipple in his mouth, he suckled it lovingly and watched the vertical slits of her irises expand as she grew more excited. Naruto switched to the other nipple, leaving the first hard and pointed and he covered that breast with his hand, massaging her gently and feeling the erect little pebble brush against his palm.

He moved lower, kissing her stomach with light grazes of his lips and watched her skin turn to goose bumps as her sensitive flesh reacted to his playful teases. He repositioned himself on the bed so that he was hovering over her legs and Fu spread them for him unhesitatingly. Naruto kissed and licked the velvety soft skin on the inside of her thighs, before moving directly between her legs to begin paying attention to her completely hairless pussy. His tongue darted out to each side of her lips, running the tip along the deliciously smooth skin as she writhed underneath him. He placed his strong hands on her thighs, holding her squirming body tightly in place and then began to lightly lap at the top of her pussy. He smiled to himself at the taste of her, it reminded him of mint, fresh and delicious to his palate.

"Oh master, that feels marvellous!" Fu moaned appreciatively and he felt her hands move down to run through his hair, her fingertips gently stroking his head.

Determined to make this one for the history books, Naruto focused entirely on pleasuring the selfless young woman, concentrating entirely on making her feel good. For the next hour he worked the green skinned girl's body, licking and stroking at her responsive flesh and building her towards a crescendo of orgasms, each one more powerful than the last. Finally she begged for mercy and pleaded to him with outstretched arms to come up to join her.

"Master, Fu has never felt this much pleasure... ever," She whispered passionately between breaths, her chest heaving for breath.

"You're mine now," Naruto said, smiling at her expression as she looked up at him with wonder. "I only want you to be happy and to experience pleasure," he said softly.

The girl looked up at him and a tear fell from her eyes and rolled gently down her cheek.

"Oh master..." She sighed rapturously.

Naruto eased himself between her legs and carefully positioned the head of his cock at the entrance to her wet pussy. Fu's legs came up to either side of him, the toned muscles in her calves crossed over the small of his back as she raised her hips and enveloped his length inside her.

"Master fits inside this one so well," she moaned contentedly, as she effortlessly took his entire length inside her body in one long motion.

Naruto felt her body ripple along his length as he pushed into her, marvelling at the different feel of fucking his first Nymph. Even though he was able to slide back and forth inside her slick pussy with ease, she was still incredibly tight and her body seemed to grip him and massage his length in strange and unusual ways he had not experienced before. Although Fu's skin was cooler to the touch than his other women, her pussy was slightly warmer and he enjoyed the contrast immensely.

Fu looked up at him with her emerald eyes, sensing his delight as he thrust back and forth inside her for the first time. She smiled up at him happily and John saw that her cat-like irises had expanded so widely that they seemed to almost completely touch the edges of her shimmering garnet eyes. He leaned down, resting his body against hers, her big breasts presenting a delightful yielding pillow for his chest.

Now only inches above her face, he moved to kiss her and she returned it passionately, her lips moving eagerly against his own. Naruto stared into her eyes and she stared back at him unblinking, as he began to thrust harder and more deliberately inside her exotic body.

Fu nodded excitedly as she felt her master grow closer to orgasm, his powerful thrusts filling her body over and over again. She yearned for him to cum inside her, to feel his potent sperm inside her womb, even if it was just a teasing prelude to what she really hoped she could offer her master.

Finally Naruto's muscles tensed and his taut quad trembled as he could hold off no longer and he began to send long shooting blasts of his cum inside the trembling girl beneath him. Fu's back arched powerfully, supporting his body above her, as he rode her responsive flesh and drove every last ounce of his cum into her sucking pussy. The girl's dark green belly began to expand to house his mighty load and she groaned as she joined him in a crashing climax, waves of pleasure cascading over her.

Both spent, they collapsed on the bed and Naruto carefully kept his weight off her, so that he wouldn't squash the enormous sphere of her stomach. He eased his length out of her pussy, her body feeling like it was kissing him goodbye as he slid gently out of her. Fu rolled to her side, her hands cupping her spunk bloated belly protectively and Naruto moved behind her, sliding his arm under her head for her to use as a pillow. With his free hand he cupped her abdomen, feeling proud of having yet another conquest lying happily in his arms.

"This one has no words for how she feels about you, master," Fu sighed contentedly.

Hinata, Hana, Tenten, and Sasuke all cleaned up from where they'd masturbated to the show. They slid into bed around the newest member of the Uzumaki Pack and cuddled her and each other.

Naruto caressed Fu's body possessively. *I can't wait to do this when it's my babies in your bellies, or even Sasuke's,* he projected on both channels in his mind.

The girls all sighed wistfully while Sasuke looked almost pained with desire. *Crazy question, could we knock one girl up at the same time? Fraternal twins with different fathers?* Sasuke asked privately.

*Would take some doing with Telekinesis but it could happen. If the girl is okay with it, we can try when we start trying,* Naruto told him.

Eventually, they stirred from the afterglow, Fu's belly providing an interesting play of light on the ceiling. Naruto went for the Kitchen and decided to do salmon for dinner, on the chance that Fu's taste buds were modeled after a cat's as well. Fu joined him as his sous chef while the others fetched a drink to relax after their long days. They limited themselves to just one, and had water with the dinner of perfectly pan-seared salmon. Fu seemed to have a small orgasm with each bite, especially when washed down with the heavy cream Naruto had given her.

They eventually headed back to their quarters for a long shower, Fu showing off her water-based transformation for Hana and Sasuke. Sasuke was the first to observe that her gills allowed her to give underwater blowjobs in the bath or hot tub or pool. Banking that idea for later, Naruto led them all to bed and allowed Fu to give him a simple blowjob, though she experimented with fingering him and was rewarded with an extra-large load. Tenten happily drank down Sasuke's sympathetic release. Then they all fell asleep to Fu's belly.

The next day was busy. Hana and Sasuke wanted to hammer out the final kinks in the Firing Range and later sparring in the Gym. Hinata and Fu experimented in the pool, which mostly consisted of Hinata riding Fu's back as the feline girl glided around the pool. Tenten stayed on the Bridge with Naruto, finalizing her order while Naruto used Sasuke's access codes to get Intel ahead of the KFNN. Finally, Tenten offered her final shopping list to Naruto.

"14 million ryo. Not bad. Sure, go ahead with the order," Naruto agreed.

"Most men would be more upset with their girlfriend spending over a seventh of their savings," Tenten mused, taking his ryo chit and plugging it into her console. Her DNA was verified and the order went through. Tenten sighed. "I spent years dreaming I could even touch some of this stuff. But compared to an Uzu Atomic Manufacturer, they seem like baby's toys."

"Can you build an Atomic Manufacturer with the Mass Fabricators you ordered?" Naruto asked.

"In theory, yes, but I'd need three elements from the Uzu Periodic Table in order to build one. We're not getting them any time soon. Unless you have a friend who owns a heavy reactor plant," Tenten asked leadingly.

"Sorry, babe, no luck. Does everything require one or more of the Uzu elements?"

"Pretty much. I can rough out versions that use only the standard elements, but they'll be less than half as effective," Tenten lamented. "A Quantum Rifle would turn into a combination railgun and laser rifle instead of firing both at the same time and fusing them into a single unique mass. And a Shield Generator without Eternity Crystals will be only 80% better than the K-Fed equivalent. I can boost that another 60% with a Shield Modulator, but still."

"Over doubling our shield strength sounds fine, honey. And a handheld Laser sounds awesome!" Naruto gushed.

Tenten blushed. "You know… I've been reconsidering my policy on a certain hole. Same rules as my first virginity though, Sasuke first."

*Sasuke, drop what you're doing and come up to my Ready Room. We're pulling an anal train on Tenten.*

*I'll be there! Sorry, Hana, duty calls. Spar with Hinata,* Sasuke projected.

And that's how Naruto, Sasuke, and Tenten spent their morning. The rest of the day passed with everyone doing their assigned tasks, Naruto preparing a full turkey dinner in honor of May Day. It was really just an excuse to spent hours in the Kitchen. Everyone complimented the succulent bird, the rich stuffing, the buttery green beans, and the tart cranberry sauce. Fu tried a bite of each dish to honor Naruto's cooking, but her main meal came from his quad.

The second day of their journey, Naruto and Fu went for the pool while Hinata volunteered to show Hana and Sasuke her method for shooting with the wind around walls while Tenten was given a copy of a copy of Naruto's skills from Hinata. Naruto had great fun pushing his body while Fu cavorted below and around him. Her gills allowed her to stay below the surface for minutes at a time.

"I think I'd like you to join me in the hot tub," Naruto said, with Fu nodding enthusiastically.

They got out of the pool and walked over to the back of the gym. Naruto turned on the hot tub and the burbling water sounded quite enticing to the green hued girl. Naruto climbed in first and then offered his hand to Fu, as she gracefully sank into the water beside him. Rather than sitting on one of the benches beside him however, she moved into the middle of the tub and gently parted his legs with her hands.

Naruto saw the hungry look she gave him with her sparkling garnet eyes, as she disappeared below the bubbling surface of the water. Seconds later he felt the hot warmth of her mouth covering him and then he groaned as she began to fellate him. Fu had changed techniques this time and instead of the typical way she normally went down on him, as though on a mission to stimulate him as much as possible, today was very different. She massaged him languidly with her throat, like a gentle relaxing caress, brushing against his cock in lots of places. Combined with the warm streams of air bubbling over his body in the hot tub, he found himself getting incredibly relaxed, practically melting into the tub.

After Fu had been underwater for what seemed like forever, he brushed the bubbles on the surface aside to check to see if she was ok. Her eyes looked back at him from under the water and he could feel her mouth moving into a smile, her lips spread tightly around his girth. Relaxing back and marvelling at how useful her gills were, Naruto sighed contentedly and let Fu bring him to a long, drawn out orgasm. He held her head tightly to his lap as he came, feeling her sucking on him lovingly as he emptied his quad into her stomach.

"That was incredible!" he said to her gratefully as the green skinned girl emerged slowly from the water, her rounded stomach throwing circles of light around the interior of the hot tub.

They kissed affectionately, before getting out of the tub and John got dressed quickly. They decided to go to the Firing Range to see how everyone was doing. They entered and the built-in fans were going at a gale. Naruto hit the button to deactivate them and saw Hinata, Sasuke, and Hana we're sharing their two XR73 Rifles while Tenten worked a simple heavy pistol.

"You all expert marksman yet?" Naruto asked.

"Hana and I managed to hit the bull's-eye with the target behind a wall. We're good," Sasuke reported.

"I haven't had the chance to do much practice with the fans going, but I'm noticeably better than I was back on Karron," Tenten stated. She held out her pistol to Fu. "Want to let off a few rounds?" She asked.

Fu had an uncomfortable expression on her face. "Fu would rather not," she said in a whimper.

Naruto furrowed his brow. "Honey, everyone on the crew needs to be able to shoot. Just try it!"

Fu bent over as if in pain. "This one begs master not to order her to pick up a gun!"

Naruto waved Tenten back. "Okay, okay, babe. You don't have to pick up a gun. In fact, I order you never to touch a gun, okay?"

Fu visibly relaxed. "Fu is thankful."

*Must be a safety measure Orochimaru programmed into the Taki to prevent them from mutinying.* Naruto projected into the Pack mind.

*Wonder if she'd have the same reaction to firing the Invictus's guns? That's a joystick, not a gun,* Hana wondered.

The rest of that day and the next two passed in a blut of fun, work, and sex. Sasuke and Hana managed to Bond with Tenten, and they all grew close to Fu. The alien girl was so perky, it was impossible to not fall in love with her.

They had jumped into the Alpha Centauri system and were at their final destination: the Olympus Shipyard, bastion of the Konoha Federation. They all went up to the bridge to watch Hinata bring the Invictus back to its birthplace. Everyone took their places and Fu sat at a free chair in a dimmed station near the back left of the room.

As they got closer to the titanic spaceport, a light flashed on Hinata's console, indicating an incoming hail. She pushed a button to receive the communication.

"Incoming Assault Cruiser, please identify yourself and your business at Olympus," a military communications officer requested politely.

"Commander Uzumaki Naruto on the Invictus, requesting docking clearance at the shipyard for retrofitting," he replied confidently.

There followed a brief pause before the officer replied. "Please approach Docking Bay 11 Commander."

Already anticipating docking clearance at the shipyard, Hinata had approached Olympus from the drydock side, so they were able to fly directly towards the station rather than circling it like last time.

Tenten watched the approaching shipyard with open mouthed amazement. The colossal example of human innovation in construction, sprawled out ahead of them for kilometres into the distance. There was a huge central hub, which was surrounded by long sections comprised of docking bays, spreading out like spokes of a wheel. Enormous turreted weapons adorned the top deck of the shipyard, the fearsome batteries powerful enough to threaten ships many times larger than their Assault Cruiser.

The Invictus prowled closer, staying under port speed at Hinata's careful behest. They moved into the drydock and marvelled at the enormous craft assembled there. To their starboard side, a huge behemoth of a ship was under construction and as they passed along its 3000 metre long hull, they read the words "Thor's Hammer" in 20 meter high lettering near the bow of the ship.

"That's a Dreadnought," Naruto said to the girls quietly, not wanting to break the hushed silence of the bridge.

"Probably built with the Tyrenium you sold me last time we were here," Sasuke commented.

"Hard to take Singularity Drivers seriously when I've seen a Quantum Annihilator. Still, I'd love to get my hands on their blueprints," Tenten said wistfully.

"What I'd give to fire either of those," Hana all but panted.

The Invictus moved on, passing by the area of the drydock used to repair damaged vessels. The destroyer that Naruto and Hinata had passed last time was gone, but in its place devastated ships told their own tale of how the war with the Kintark Empire was progressing. One Heavy Cruiser they passed had been scoured by plasma burns, the terrible destructive power of the weapons charring huge welts across the flank of the ship. Another Light Carrier had been left a mangled wreck, the rear of the ship almost completely obliterated. Tenten wondered how they had even managed to bring the ship back to Olympus.

Finally Docking Bay 11 yawned open in front of them, more than big enough to house the 500 meter length of their Assault Cruiser with ease. Hinata brought the Invictus in to land smoothly, following the guide path provided by the docking computer, as the Olympus Shipyard welcomed home her wayward daughter.

The crew of the Invictus left the ship and strode out to meet the two uniformed men awaiting their arrival. As they left the confines of the airlock, John noticed the men were standing next to a brutal looking piece of Terran Federation engineering. It was some kind of dropship, lean and ferocious, the jutting weapon barrels telling their own tale of its lethal potential. He reluctantly pulled his gaze from the savage looking craft and focused on the two men standing to its side.

Naruto recognized the one on the right as his old colleague Aburame Shino. The man still wore black-out shades and kept his collar tucked up to cover his mouth. The other was a silver-haired gentleman in a Konoha Federation jacket all but dripping with medals. He had a curiously weasel-like face, and seemed strangely familiar.

Sasuke stiffened. *Shit on a stick. It's my brother.*

*Your super protective big brother who ma,y or may not have bugged your office?* Naruto asked worriedly.

*The very same.*

*Well, here's hoping we're not about to be dragged off for experimentation,* Hinata projected.

"Naruto, long time no see. We must catch up later. Why? Because that is what friends do after a long absence. May I present Admiral Uchiha, Director of Olympus Shipyard," Shino said in his quiet voice.

Itachi strolled forward, but blew past Naruto to stand in front of Sasuke. Itachi's red Uchiha eyes bored into Sasuke, who refused to look away.

"Your arm is better," Itachi finally said.

"I've had work done."

"Your face is different."

"I've had a lot of work done."

"You're taller."

"I've had EXTENSIVE work done," Sasuke said, a bead of sweat dropping from his brow.

"You got a tan."

"There's these things called tanning beds."

"You lost weight."

"I've been spending a lot of hours in the gym."

Itachi paused. "Are you happy, little brother?"

Feeling the weight behind that question, Sasuke looked his big brother in the eye. "I've never been happier, and that's the truth."

"... Very well," Itachi said, nodding. He turned to face Naruto. "Commander Uzumaki. I hear good things about you."

It's good to meet you Admiral," Naruto said, snapping a sharp salute. "I'm sure the tales have been greatly exaggerated," he said, self deprecatingly.

The older man looked at Naruto with shrewd, penetrating eyes. "I don't think they have," he replied.

"So what can I do for you Admiral?" Naruto asked, curious as to why such a high ranking Konoha Federation officer would come to meet him.

"It's more what I can do for you Commander," the man said. "Konoha Federation High Command greatly appreciated your efforts against the Nuke. The PR value of that battle alone is invaluable to us at the moment."

"Just happy to do our part Admiral," Naruto said. "Those Nuke had to be stopped!" he said grimly.

"Yes, indeed," Admiral Uchiha said unemotionally.

"In any case, I'm pleased to be able to present you with a Raptor class gunship to show our appreciation for your efforts," the Admiral said, looking askance at the terrifying piece of hardware to his side.

"Thank you Admiral!" John said, looking up at the gunship, a big grin spreading across his face.

"Keep up the good work Commander," the distinguished older man said quietly, throwing him a salute and turning to leave.

Before he had completed the turn however, he suddenly looked back.

"According to Vice Admiral Aburame, you've brought us another shipment of Tyrenium?" He said, with hunger in his voice; the first real emotion that the man had displayed since their arrival.

"Yes, sir," John replied succinctly. "20 tons of it."

Admiral Uchiha's eyes gleamed. "Outstanding work, Commander. Quite outstanding..." he said, before nodding to Shino and then walking away briskly.

John turned to look at his old friend Shino with a raised eyebrow.

"We shall talk in my office. I am eager to know the names of your lovely companions. And I am curious behind Uchiha Sasuke's transformation." With that, Shino led them through the Shipyard to his office.

*No offense, but your brother's a sociopath,* Hinata thought in the Pack mind.

*Imagine growing up with him. We should consider ourselves lucky he's a principled one.*

They walked away from the Invictus and Tenten managed to tear her eyes away from the fascinating looking gunship. She finally noticed the huge number of crates stacked in the docking bay and Shino spotted her drifting over to look at them curiously.

"We started receiving all these deliveries a couple of days ago. The deck officer was having a fit until I had a word," he said, smiling.

Tenten practically jumped up and down with excitement and glanced longingly at the large shipping crates as they walked to the heavy security door that led out of the bay.

"Come on," Naruto said, grinning at her. "You can look later. They can't start loading anything until the retrofit is done on the cargo bay anyway."

"I prioritized that work order for you John, the crews will start work on that for you immediately," Shino volunteered helpfully.

"Much appreciated Shino, thank you!" Naruto said gratefully and the older man waved away his thanks.

They followed Shino into Sasuke's old office. Sasuke nodded at his former aide, who barely seemed to recognize him. They all sat in the comfortable chairs while Shino sat behind his desk.

"Now, I believe introductions are in order. Why? Because I do not know any of these young women," Shino droned.

"I'm Hyuuga Hinata, XO on the Invictus. Pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"Second Lieutenant Inuzuka Hana. It's an honor to meet you, Vice Admiral!"

"Tenten, Chief Engineer. Thanks for prioritizing our retrofit."

"This one is named Fu by Naruto. She is Naruto's Nymph!"

Shino's eyebrow steadily climbed above his sunshades. "You've certainly gathered a rather interesting crew, Naruto."

"I don't question my luck," Naruto said simply. "Now tell me about Admiral Uchiha."

"He's here overseeing the construction of the Echelon class Dreadnought you probably saw on your arrival," Shino said. "High Command are ordering a massive shipbuilding program and he wants to make sure construction stays on schedule."

"He's a bit detached, but he's very driven. He holds a lot of sway with High Command," Shino said, giving his honest opinion of the man.

"Very interesting." Naruto said, intrigued. "What do you know about the Raptor gunship?" he asked his old friend with a hint of excitement in his voice. "I haven't seen or heard of anything like that before."

"It's state of the art Naruto, fresh off the production lines," Shino said enviously. "You must have made High Command very happy indeed, for them to give you one of those."

"It doesn't look much like a normal Marine transport," Naruto said, recalling the blocky transports he had launched dozens of boarding actions from in his career as a marine.

"It's part of the new push towards carrier forces and dropship assaults. The raptor gunship is exclusive to Konoha Federation Special Forces. It's fast, manoeuvrable and packs a lot more firepower at the cost of a much reduced troop carrying capacity."

"How many?" Naruto asked curiously.

"30 men in heavy gear," Shino said, "but that should be more than adequate for your needs."

"Indeed. Now, let's talk business," Naruto said, his inner trader coming to the fire.

"Ah, yes, the Tyrenium. Same price per ton as last time?" Shino asked hopefully.

"Well there were a few complications in transit. Travel costs must be accounted for." Naruto had a shit-eating grin on his face.

Shino sighed. "How much?"

"30 mil ryo per ton, and I'll throw in a Nuke dropship," Naruto said with a straight face.

"600 million?!" Shino demanded, standing up and slamming his hands on his desk.

"And whatever R&D gets out of the dropship. Come on, Shino. 20 tons. That's two Singularity Drivers. If this shipbuilding program is as hard as you make it out to be, this is a bargain at twice the price," Naruto reasoned.

"... You have a deal. I don't know whether to be awed or appalled by your blatant price gouging. Hand me your ryo chit," Shino said grudgingly.

Naruto handed over the small electronic prism reminiscent of 21st century e-cigarettes. Shino plugged it into his desk and made a few commands on his console. When he was done, he handed it back. "Almost 700 million. Perhaps I should have retired when you did," Shino mused.

"I've been very lucky." Naruto pocketed his chit.

"What are your plans now? You're a very wealthy man," Shino inquired.

"A short vacation on Gravitus, then a tour of the Galactic League. The Suna, the Oto, the Iwa, and the Mizu, in that order."

"Well, enjoy. And if you run into any situations like those pirates again, please intervene like last time." Shino shared a long handshake with each member of the Pack before letting them go.

Hana blew out an explosive breath. "600 million ryo! I couldn't believe you asked for that much."

"I'm planning on a long retirement and a big family. I need every coin of that," Naruto said, getting him the standard sighs whenever he brought up children.

They filed into their new Raptor, the Invictus already being worked over by naval engineers. It had a large Hangar Bay, a small cargo Bay, and two rooms on the bottom floor housing the Power Core and storage respectively. After a brief trip to the second floor, they found a small cabin and the Cockpit.

"Time for a shopping trip, everyone!" Hinata said before lifting the Raptor up and away from Olympus, communicating with Flight Command with easy confidence. And then it was a straight shot down to the volcanic planet.


	19. Chapter 19

**One day vacation on Gravitus, then off to Suna and the next adventure.**

* * *

"You want to call Sakura, see if she changed her mind?" Naruto asked.

"She's unenhanced and just had to cram two years of school into a week of tests. Let's let her rest," Sasuke argued, feeling protective of the girl he'd never met.

"What did she mean when she said she was shipping out for the Dragon March?" Tenten asked from her seat.

"There's a string of systems on the border with the Kumo Empire nicknamed the Dragon March, since Kumo are basically dragons. Of course they'd be sending her to where all the wounded are," Naruto reasoned.

"Do you think we could do anything to help in the conflict with the Kumo Empire?" Hana asked hopefully.

"As we are now, not a chance. We're just one Assault Cruiser. Once Tenten has us kicked out with Uzu or even Uzu 0.5 weapons and tech, then maybe. But that would take a major refit. And I don't know about you, but I'm not comfortable doing it here at Olympus with Itachi looking over our shoulder. The guy already practically admitted he knows our secret," Naruto argued.

"He suspects something, at the very least. He agreed to let it go for my happiness, but if we draw High Command's attention then all bets are off," Sasuke explained.

"Can master not simply make the Admiral one of his mates?" Fu asked innocently.

"I promised Sasuke I wouldn't do that," Naruto told her gently even as Sasuke visibly shuddered.

"This gunship is fast! We're already at Spaceport Alpha!" Hinata called out.

"I don't see many alien ships around," Tenten said with disappointment, as she looked out at the wide variety of vessels landed at the spaceport.

"There aren't many who come here," John said, confirming her observation. "Olympus and Gravitus are military centers really, there isn't a huge demand for alien trade here. Most of those traders will be arms dealers, or munitions suppliers."

They headed down to the airlock in the cargo bay and then out into the spaceport. Naruto called the girls and Sasuke a hover-limo to take them clothes shopping, while he planned to take a hover-taxi to the arms emporium, as he had his own shopping to do. He booked a suite at the same hotel they had enjoyed last time and they all agreed to meet up there when they had finished their shopping bonanza. The crew all gave him a lengthy kiss goodbye and he felt as though he was in a daze by the time they finally parted ways.

The taxi driver was a friendly old fellow with a jolly smile and a twinkle in his eye. As Naruto relaxed into the comfortable leather seats at the back of the luxury taxi, the driver pushed a button, starting up the anti-grav cyclics that would keep the vehicle afloat.

"What brings you to Gravitus then young fella?" The cabbie said in a cheerful mood.

"Stocking up on weapons and armor," Naruto replied. "My gear got a bit bashed about on the last trip."

"Ah, there's a lot of that going about," the cabbie said sadly. "Hope it wasn't problems with them dragons?" He asked curiously.

"No, some Nuke this time," Naruto said with a smile.

"Ugh, those bastards reared their ugly mugs again?" The cabbie said grimacing.

"I remember the purge of '43." he said with distaste. "174th regulars." he said proudly.

"I heard about that one. They captured planets just before the purge didn't they?" Naruto said, remembering tales of the horrors found by the Konoha Federation forces when they reclaimed the worlds.

"Yeah, still have nightmares about that sometimes," the cabby said, suddenly looking haunted.

"Thank you for your service," Naruto said, placing his hand on the old man's shoulder. "Because of people like you, millions of others didn't have to share the same fate," he said gratefully.

The cabby looked back at Naruto for a moment and he nodded in thanks, pride shining in his eyes, before turning back to the road. They rode the rest of the way in silence, before John waved goodbye to the man, giving him a hefty tip in ryo as he left.

Finally arrived at the Arms emporium, Naruto stepped through the doors that slid open for him welcomingly. The emporium was spotlessly clean and showy booths were dotted around the trade facility, sinister weapons gleaming dully in black and chrome.

"Hello sir!" A pretty blonde woman in a smart trouser suit said, approaching him as he walked into the foyer. "Is there anything you're looking at in particular today?" she asked him helpfully.

"I'm after McCarran Arms and the Steinbeck Armoury," John requested politely.

"I'd be happy to be your guide," she said, smiling up at him pleasantly. "Which would you like to visit first, Mr...?"

"McCarran arms please." John replied. "Mr Uzumaki, but you can call me Naruto," he said with a smile.

"Certainly Naruto, my name's Lauren. If you'd care to follow me please." The young woman said.

Naruto followed the girl and couldn't help but glance at her long legs as she led him through the crowds. Lauren arrived at a booth and John recognized the distinctive crossed thunderbolts logo of McCarran arms. She went up to a somber looking man who was stooped over a computer and spoke to him briefly.

"Ah Mr Uzumaki, what can I do for you today?" The man said respectfully to his well dressed potential customer.

"I'd like to purchase 8 more XR73 Rifles," Naruto stated plainly.

The man's eyes lit up at the prospect of a big spender. "If you like the XR73, might I recommend our new XR75! McCarran Arms is proud to showcase it's latest model!"

The weapons dealer waved him over to a nearby stand that held a display model of the deadly looking rifle. It had the same bullpup design as the previous version that Naruto was used to, but had a slightly more compact looking barrel.

"We used a titanium alloy to replace the previous frame," the man said conspiratorially. "It allowed us to drop the weight by 10% but still keep the same strength."

"May I?" Naruto asked.

"Of course sir!" the salesman said eagerly and picked up a sample rifle from a weapon case at the back of the booth.

Naruto brought the rifle to his shoulder, feeling the weight. It was noticeably lighter, which was always a bonus. He powered up the scope and noticed a new HUD in a pleasant light green, that felt easy on the eyes.

"We updated the scope too... more detailed range finding information on the target, but still comes with mag-search and infrared as standard of course," the salesman interjected.

"Very nice," Naruto said. "I'd like twelve please."

The salesman's face lit up with a huge grin. "Of course sir!" he said ecstatically, making his week's quota in 5 minutes.

"These are restricted weapons however, sir. I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask to see your military-grade weapons licence," the salesman said regretfully.

Naruto shrugged and handed over his military ID. "No problem."

Encouraged by Naruto's easy manner, the salesman scanned the ID and all but let out a whoop when it came back positive. "Twelve XR75 Rifles it is, sir! Where shall I have them shipped?"

"The Invictus in Docking Bay 11 at Olympus Shipyard," Naruto told him before handing over his ryo chit. The sale was for under a million, so he didn't even glance at the number. He had 677 million and change, these rifles were hardly going to break the bank. "Lauren? Steinbeck Armory next."

"Sure thing, Naruto!" the woman said cheerfully. It might have been Naruto's imagination, but he could have sworn that she exaggerated the sway of her hips as she led him to the other end of the emporium.

Eventually they arrived at the Steinbeck Armory and Lauren glided up to the owner. A middle aged woman in grey military fatigues spoke with his guide for a moment, before turning to face Naruto.

"Lauren tells me you're a big spender Commander Uzumaki," The woman said bluntly. Lauren had the decency to blush prettily.

"I believe in buying the best for my team, if that's what you mean. Nothing's more important to me than their personal safety," Naruto said firmly.

"A man after my own heart," the woman said with a smile. "Anything in particular you're after?"

"I'm looking for mobility and protection," Naruto said. "Money is no object."

The middle aged woman looked at him speculatively. "We have contracts to supply Special Forces troops with armor. That kind of gear would be ideal for your needs," she said cautiously.

"I'll need to see a Military ID with high enough clearance level to be able to authorize a sale of that kind of body armor though." she said warily.

Naruto shrugged nonchalantly and produced his ID. The woman swiped it and her wariness evaporated.

"It looks like we might be in business then Commander. Now come and take a look at our Phalanx range," she said, leading him around the corner of the booth to another section that housed several examples of full body armor suits.

"I assume you'll need some for yourself too?" The woman said, looking at him appraisingly. "You have the look of a marine about you."

Naruto smiled at her and nodded at the perceptive woman.

"Well let me show you the Phalanx Alpha." She said, leading him to a high tech and futuristic piece of armor. Unlike his current set of battered armor, this suit was fully sealed, the arms and legs covered as well, rather than just the joints.

"You'll notice the angular styling. That's designed to help deflect incoming rounds. The surface is also a mirrored composite to reduce the impact of laser weaponry, but without sacrificing protection against conventional small arms," the woman said, as she launched into her sales pitch.

"Would you like to try a suit on?" She offered. "I have one that should fit you well enough to get a feel for it."

"Of course," Naruto said with a grin.

The saleswoman led him to the room at the back of the booth to get geared up. It took him longer to equip this armor than his old gear, but he could immediately see the excellent craftsmanship at work in how easily it moved with him. He strode out in the armor, leaving off the helmet so the saleswoman could check the fit.

"Not bad." She said thoughtfully. "A few size alterations and we should have a suit that will fit you like a glove."

"Excellent, I'm interested." John said nodding. "Two sets sized for me please, two for a man an inch shorter and quite a bit leaner, and another eight designed for women." he said, thoughtfully.

The middle aged woman rose her brow. "Would you happen to know the dimensions of the women you have in mind?"

"If Lauren would be so kind as to let you have her measurements, she's a very similar body type," Naruto said. "The girls are 5'9" though and a 32D chest."

That took the wind out of Lauren's sails a little, being slightly shorter and less busty than the women he had described. She nodded her agreement to be used as a model and the saleswoman approached her and produced a tape measure so that she could take her measurements.

"Thank you Lauren, I appreciate it." Naruto said gratefully.

He went back to the changing room and removed the suit of body armor, while the saleswoman noted down the dimensions she needed for the other eight sets, using Lauren as a handy guide. She had just finished when Naruto returned to the booth and she looked up at him and smiled. The saleswoman ran the transaction through against his credit chit and nodded in satisfaction when the sale completed.

"A pleasure doing business with you Commander Uzumaki," She said, offering her hand to shake in the ancient custom for sealing a deal.

"Likewise," Naruto said with a smile, shaking her hand.

He made sure the saleswoman had the correct delivery details and she promised him all twelve suits of body armor would be waiting for him at Olympus tomorrow. Naruto bid her farewell and then followed Lauren who led him back to the entrance of the emporium.

"Thank you very much for your assistance today Lauren, you were very helpful," Naruto thanked the young woman appreciatively.

She smiled at him flirtatiously. "I must admit I'm intrigued to see what your crew looks like Naruto, but I'm happy I was able to help."

The attractive blonde leaned forward, giving him an excellent view of her cleavage and then handed him a business card discreetly.

"Give me a call if there's anything else I can do for you," She purred suggestively.

Naruto smiled back at her and nodded, before heading out of the Arms emporium.

A couple hours later, he was taking a drink from a quality aged sake bottle in the same penthouse suite where they'd broken in Sasuke. He admired the view of the magma below while keeping track of the Pack through their group mind, Fu being the only one who couldn't communicate with the rest. Yet. Her transition to Uzuhood was moving well along, having had three or four meals a day for the past four. A couple more days and she'd have pointy ears like the rest of them.

He was about to check the stock trading prices when four giggling young women and one traumatized man burst into the suite, followed closely behind by a legion of porters. Naruto turned to face them with a smile on his face. The porters carefully placed bag after bag in the suite, the spoils of victory from the girls' assault on the shopping districts of Gravitus.

John walked over and tipped the porters who closed the doors to the suite on their way out, stealing lingering glances at the luscious young women who had crowded around John.

"We had the 'best' time ever!" Hinata gasped enthusiastically, hugging Naruto tightly.

"Thanks Naruto, I had no idea clothes shopping could be that entertaining," Hana said with a lovely warm smile.

She came up to his side and kissed him gently on the cheek, before moving aside to let the other two girls show their appreciation. Tenten and Fu followed on her heels and moved to either side of him, both kissing him tenderly on the cheek.

"Thank you master. This one loved spending time with your mates," she said, looking up at him appreciatively.

"We did a lot of damage to your bank account," Tenten smiled bashfully. "But I had a really amazing time, thanks so much!"

"You're all welcome!" John said, greatly enjoying his warm greeting. "I'm just glad you enjoyed yourselves." he said happily. He turned to Sasuke who was brooding. "What's wrong, Beta?"

"I got hit on by EVERYONE. One attendant actually reached into my pants and squeezed my cock! Just because I'm beautiful and hung does 'not' mean I'm ready to go with all and sundry! This wardrobe better last me the next century because I am NOT going shopping again until every attendant who works there is dead and buried," the Uchiha ranted.

"There were a lot more straight women and gay men than straight men and lesbians," Hinata admitted with a hand scratching the back of her head.

"Well, that's too bad. I was going to give everyone an appetizer before we went out for dinner and clubbing. But if Sasuke would rather sulk, then…" Naruto trailed off.

Sasuke instantly perked up. "I'm doing all the work! The rest of you just line up to take him after me!"

And so, after everyone got dressed in their new fine clothes, Naruto fed each of them a portion of his spunk, Sasuke doing the main work in coaxing it out of his balls. That done, they all stood up. Sasuke was in an asymmetric black suit that made him look chic, Alyssa had elected for the a gold halter sheathe that barely covered her ass, Hana was in the iconic 'little black dress', Tenten wore a coral-blue halter neck dress, and Fu wore a plum dress with an oval cut out of the stomach to show off her navel.

"You all look fabulous. Now, I had to pull some strings, but I got us into the best sushi place in this hemisphere tonight! Everyone run down for the hover-limo," Naruto instructed.

They made quite the procession, Naruto in his charcoal suit walking with Hinata and Fu on his arms, Sasuke walking with Hana and Tenten on his. The painfully pretty people ignored the plebians around them and filed into their hover-limo, which took them to a restaurant run by a 13th-generation master sushi chef. Fu in particular found herself on cloud nine, whereas Tenten realized she lacked the stomach for raw fish. Luckily, the restaurant offered cooked dishes as well, so she got to eat along with everyone.

After Naruto paid the bill, they filed back into the hover-limo, which was programmed to take them to the most exclusive club on Gravitus.

One of the bouncers came down to open the door, recognizing the entrance of someone rich or powerful and Naruto stepped out onto the sidewalk, nodding his thanks to the man. Naruto looked up and saw the name of club "Infinity" emblazoned in tall lighting above the canopy that protected the entrance. The people queuing up to get in watched intrigued as he held out his hand for the girls and Sasuke and they elegantly exited the limo, gathering around him.

When everyone was ready they walked up to the club, accompanied by the bouncer and one of his colleagues on the door unclipped the velvet rope that barred entrance. Naruto walked in, nodding his thanks and a beautiful brunette in a long black sparkling dress glided over to meet them.

"Hello sir!" she said, smiling at him. "Welcome to Infinity."

"Would you and your guests require the use of one of our VIP areas?" she asked speculatively.

"That would be wonderful, thank you miss," Naruto said, appreciatively.

"Call me Stephanie, please," She said with a smile. "Would you like to follow me please?"

Naruto, Sasuke and the girls followed their hostess as she lead them from the foyer into the club itself. There was a huge dance floor, filled with the young, wealthy, and attractive from Gravitus, this being one of the most exclusive clubs on the planet. Hinata walked at Naruto's side and he noticed her admiring the fine figure of their hostess, as they followed in Stephanie's wake.

They travelled up a sweeping spiral staircase, passing another set of bouncers and entered the VIP area which overlooked the dance floor. Their booth was big, with cushioned seating curving around the area and in the center was a raised platform about three meters in diameter. Naruto placed a order for drinks with Stephanie and she smiled appreciatively as he gave her a nice tip. The brunette turned to the girls and wished them a great time, before moving over to the panel by the balcony and pressing a button. The sound dampening field evaporated and their booth was flooded with the thumping bass of the dance music.

The teenagers bounced up and down excitedly, enjoying the throbbing pulse of the music as it seemed to surge through them. They went over to the balcony and looked out over the dance floor, watching the crowds of people and soaking in the ambience of the place. Naruto walked up to them and grinned, happy to see their overjoyed reactions.

Nightclubs were a novelty for Hinata and Tenten, having never set foot inside such a place before. The mining asteroid they hailed from, Karron, had its share of seedy bars but nothing even in the same league as this club; plush, luxurious and exclusive as it was. The girls chattered excitedly with Hana and they watched the people on the illuminated podiums below, who were dancing along with the music. Hana was a little more worldly wise than the other two, but she had spent the last few years training almost full time at the Academy and had previously had little interest in dancing. The girls began to sway in time with the music, feeling a little self conscious.

Naruto noticed that Sasuke and Jade were curiously absent. He turned and felt his jaw drop. The two stood on the podium in the center of the booth, writhing and gyrating to the beat, swaying in an erotic ritual against each other periodically.

*Since when can you dance?* Naruto projected at both of them.

*There's such a thing as one-armed dancers. I had to keep healthy somehow,* Sauske said as he gave a pelvic thrust and somehow made it tasteful.

*Fu had to entertain her former masters in and out of the bedroom. She learned over the years,* Fu told him mentally.

The girls turned to see where Naruto was and were blown away by the two dance master's at work. The show was broken up by two girls bringing them trays of drinks but even they stopped to admire the show.

Fu opened her eyes and saw all the onlookers. She smiled and nodded her head in thanks, as her friends applauded and she and Sasuke stepped down to join them for a drink. The waitresses left, leaving the drinks trays to hover in the air for them.

"How did you learn to move like that?" Alyssa asked Jade in awe.

"This one learnt to dance many years ago. Fu found that most of her master's appreciated her dancing," she explained.

"Years of classes, nothing special. Never had an occasion to use it before," Sasuke added.

"I've never seen anyone move like that before!" Hana said in amazement. "You looked so sexy, it was incredible!" she said appreciatively.

"Did this one please her master?" Fu asked Naruto with a hopeful smile.

"You were breathtaking honey," he admitted honestly.

"You have to teach me how to move like that!" Tenten pleaded.

"It will be Fu's pleasure." The Nymph replied with a gentle smile. She stroked the ravenette's arm affectionately, before trailing her fingers down to the girl's hand and then leading her back to the raised platform.

Tenten stood awkwardly on the platform as the music blared around them. Then Fu took hold of her hips and gently guided her to sway to the music. Between Fu's coaching and her off-the-charts IQ, Tenten was soon dancing like a pro along to the pounding beat. Fu gently guided her down off the platform and took Hana's hand and repeated the process.

Hinata clung to both Naruto and Sasuke, taking pride of place between her boys. *This is so fun, thank you for bringing us here,* Hinata projected. *Now who would you rather seduce, Lauren or Stephanie?*

*Yes.* Naruto grinned like the self-assured stud he was. *How about you, Sasuke? Anyone catch your eye?*

*I can't get the image of me spitroasted between the VIP bouncers out of my head. Our waitresses are there with strap-ons. You really messed up my vanilla sexuality with your Uzu jism.*

Hinata laughed out loud, then joined Fu up on the podium. Naruto sidled up next to Sasuke.

*Mind giving me your dancing skills? I don't want to be the odd one out,* Naruto thought at his Patriarch.

*I've never done Knowledge Transference but I'll give it a shot.* Sasuke focused and then gave Naruto a long kiss with tongue.

Naruto blinked, and suddenly his body seemed to know how to move with the music.

The rest of the evening flew by, in a blur of drinking, dancing and laughter. The girls loved every minute of it, enjoying Naruto's company as well as each other's. It was unusual for Fu to be center stage amongst the girls, as she was usually happy to take a back seat and just bask in Naruto's presence. However Hana, Hinata, and Tenten would have none of that, repeatedly begging the exotic alien beauty to teach them new and intricate dance moves.

Naruto stood and watched the girls dancing and laughing happily and wondered at the odd twists of fate that had brought them all together. Fu left the teenagers for a moment to come over to join him.

"This one had a wonderful time tonight master, thank you!" She said with a huge grin on her face.

"We should be thanking you," Naruto said, smiling at her affectionately. "Seeing you dance has been the highlight of the night!" he said with a big grin and pulled her into his arms for a soul searing kiss.

Fu melted into his arms and returned his kiss lovingly. "This one never thought she could be so happy master!" she murmured ecstatically, with a breathy sigh of contentment.

Three holographic silhouettes appeared over the dancefloor, and it didn't take a genius to see that it was of the Pack girls. A cheer came up from the crowd to see three sensuous bodies moving in such a sexual manner. It was like a stripper's dance but more tasteful, so more like a burlesque show.

Sasuke finished his drink. *I want you all. Let's go home,* he begged of the Pack mind.

They gathered up the rest of the girls and headed out of the VIP area, back to the foyer. Naruto settled up his tab and Stephanie, the beautiful brunette who met them earlier waved them goodbye.

The night was warm, with a balmy breeze coming in from the nearby lake.

"Come on, let's go take a look at the lake," Hana said with a smile.

Naruto noticed that the two moons of Gravitus were up, one of them waxing but the other full. They bathed the lake in a soothing blue glow and set a lovely romantic scene. The girls moved with him, walking in pairs; Alyssa and Hana with him, and Calara hand in hand with Jade and Sasuke. The two girls from Karron were apprehensive about being near such a huge body of water, but Naruto sensed their discomfort and moved between the two of them so that they could lean into him for courage.

They strolled around the lake, enjoying the tranquillity and calm after the pounding excitement of the club and soaking in the romantic setting.

Unfortunately their peaceful solitude was rudely interrupted by a large group of men, sprawled on a couple of benches. They were clearly drunk, being rowdy and obnoxious and making catcalls to the girls as Naruto and his Pack walked past. Naruto rolled his eyes to the girls and they walked past briskly, only for the group to get up and follow them, a couple of the men running past calling to them playfully and then turning to face them and standing in their path.

The playfulness seemed to evaporate abruptly and the encounter suddenly had a more threatening edge to it.

"Hey, why are you running away?" One of the men in front said, a swarthy fellow with a scar on his right cheek.

"We don't want any trouble gentlemen," Naruto said. "We just came out for a fun night, let's not spoil it."

"Well we want some fun too!" The lead man said, pulling out a large knife.

*Psychic Sleep or kick their asses?* Naruto asked, not even a little intimidated.

*I feel like breaking something for ruining our night,* Hinata thought, stepping out of her heels.

*I've been wanting to use my arm in combat,* Sasuke projected, getting into his unique stance, an amalgamation of every martial art he'd ever learned.

*I wanted my first opponent to be one of my brothers, but needs must,* Hana said mentally eyeing up her nearest opponent.

*They're going to pay for ruining our evening,* Tenten swore.

*Fu will defend master and his mates,* Fu vowed, shapeshifting her nails into long feline claws.

"Fine. Have it your way. We'll have some 'fun'," Naruto hissed menacingly.

In an instant, the Pack struck. Each of them had about two opponents. Naruto disarmed the leader and gave him a second facial scar for his troubles. Sasuke proved why Uchiha were not to be taken lightly. Hinata was as ruthless as any Thrall in history. Hana proved why the K-Fed were masters at CQC. Tenten demonstrated she'd picked up more than just food from the Diablos. And Fu showed off her inner predator. The men were all either knocked out or sent running with their tails between their legs.

They left them to rot out in the moonlight, making for their hover-limo. They all retreated to their suite, enjoying the shower spa and the Jacuzzi tub. When they went to bed, Fu wanted to try something. And so Naruto got to be the receiver of analingus while balls deep in Sasuke, who was balls-deep in Tenten. Hinata and Hana kept each other busy with a Psychic Construct of a double-ended dildo. Naruto unloaded into Sasuke's guts, where Fu eagerly sucked it out. They all fell asleep to the lights coming from her stomach.

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**As always, please fave, follow, or review.**


	20. Chapter 20

**Some hijinks as they leave Gravitus and Alpha Centauri behind. We get to see how Fu reacts to anal and what Tenten is really capable of! P.S. If I sometimes type the wrong name, it's because I'm getting the Narutoverse and the Three Square Meals universe mixed up in my head. I try to catch all of them in editing but my eyes just skip over a few. I apologize for any confusion.**

* * *

The three suns of Alpha Centauri woke Naruto the next morning. His awakened thoughts soon woke the rest of the Pack. Naruto sat up and regarded his mates arrayed on the bed before him.

"Last night was a lot of fun, the end notwithstanding. Speaking of which, each of you availed yourself very well. Those men won't soon forget the beating we gave them. Now Fu, what was that thing you did with your nails?" Naruto asked.

Fu furrowed her brows and recreated the phenomenon, her nails turning into claws. "When Fu felt like going to combat, this is what felt natural. Fu thinks that if she receives a few more of master's loads, she will be able to transform her whole form."

Hinata grinned. "Well, let's get on with that!" With that, she pulled the sheet down exposing Naruto's morning wood.

Fu gave Naruto a long blowjob, which triggered a climax in the whole pack due to their group mind. As Fu contently patted her swollen belly, Naruto activated the television holo-projector.

"A lazy morning it is," Tenten said, snuggling back under the covers of the bed barely big enough for all six of them.

"Are we watching for something in particular?" Hana asked.

Naruto grinned, hiding the details behind his mind shield. "Just checking the newsfeeds, nothing special."

Sasuke eyed him. *That fluff piece is coming on today, isn't it?* He projected privately.

Naruto shared a secret smile with his Patriarch.

Sure enough, soon enough the hologram flashed to a smartly dressed man. "This is Armstrong Bill, lead anchor for the Konoha Federation News Network!" The man said in a strident voice. "And now we move on to a special report from Ichiraku Ayame, exclusive for Konoha Federation Network News!" The sharply dressed lead anchor said enthusiastically, as the cameras cut away from him to focus on a beautiful pale skinned girl.

"Thank you, Bill," the young reporter said gratefully.

"Just last week we heard of a terrifying incursion into Konoha Federation space!" Ayame said excitedly.

"A band of despicable pirates had ravaged the sectors around Port Heracles, capturing and killing civilians and military personnel alike in their reign of terror!" she exclaimed.

"Any people captured by these evil pirates were being sold as slaves to the Nuke!" the young reporter gasped with wide eyes.

"There's some truly evil folk out there Ayame." Bill said sadly, shaking his head as the camera cut to him briefly.

"That there are Bill." Ayame replied somberly.

"Fortunately, the Konoha Federation is lucky to have heroes too!" Ayame said, passionately.

"KFNN has managed to get an exclusive interview with Uzumaki Naruto, Commander of the Invictus," the young woman said, her eyes flashing with excitement.

The screen opened up to show a holo-image of Naruto's face and the four girls and man in the bedroom whooped and cheered.

"Commander Uzumaki Naruto, this is Ichiraku Ayame from KFNN," the young reporter said. "Thank you for agreeing to this interview."

"I'm happy to oblige," the image of Naruto said, with a pleasant smile.

"We received reports that you personally intervened and saved 423 people from the ravages of a vile Nuke warband! Not satisfied with that, you put an end to the marauding pirate leader and mounted another rescue, saving 15 more prisoners from the pirate flagship!" Ayame gasped in amazement.

"That's right Ayame. As a loyal Konoha Federation citizen, it was my duty and honor to save those people and stop those attacks," Naruto's image said firmly.

"Our reports show you were outnumbered over 20 to 1, yet you managed to eliminate the entire pirate fleet, as well as rescue every single prisoner!" she gasped.

"How did you manage to succeed against such impossible odds?" Jehanna asked in awe.

"I attribute the victory to the work of the Cruiser Indomitable and my gifted Tactical Officer, Lieutenant Inuzuka Hana," Naruto's image said proudly.

Hana's shocked gasp pierced the electric atmosphere of the room.

"This exceptional young officer analyzed the pirate attacks and discovered their base. She also formulated our plan of attack and then used the firepower on the Invictus to devastating effect." Naruto's image continued undaunted.

"She sounds like an amazing woman!" Ayame said admiringly.

"The finest officer it's ever been my privilege to serve with." Naruto's image said, his voice ringing with sincerity.

"As a grateful Konoha Federation citizen, let me take this opportunity to thank you and your heroic crew Commander!" Ayame swooned.

"It was our pleasure." Naruto's holo-image replied with a warm smile.

The holo-image faded away and the cameras cut back to Ayame who had moved over to sit at a desk next to Bill.

"I almost feel sorry for the enemies of humanity!" Armstrong Bill grinned at her.

"What a guy!" Ichiraku Ayame said with a sigh, beaming a huge smile at her fellow presenter.

"Thank you for that inspiring Special Report Ayame. Now, in other news..." Bill began, leading into another story.

Hinata turned off the projector with the remote, leaving them in shocked silence.

"Which reminds me, Vice Admiral Shino wanted me to give something to you," Naruto said. He reached out and a small case came out of his suit jacket from last night. Hana shakily opened the case to reveal a golden hawk insignia and a small metallic representation of a supernova with a single pointed flare.

"Congratulations Hana. You've been commended with a Nova Burst and promoted to First Lieutenant," Naruto said proudly.

Hana reached out to caress the medals, pristine in their velvet cloth bed.

"You earned it, honey," Naruto told the brunette.

"But you gave me all the credit! Everyone else did so much! Sasuke helped me track them down!" Hana seemed in denial of all the praise being heaped on her.

"You did most of the work, I just pointed out the obvious," Sasuke played off.

"We would have been sunk without your shooting!" Hinata exclaimed.

"Our every exchange hinges on you when you think about it," Tenten comforted.

"Fu would not be here were it not for you," Fu said sincerely.

"I love you all so much!" Hana gushed, leaning to give them all a big kiss.

Naruto and Sasuke shared a look. "I think Hana deserves an extra big thank you for all her hard work and her new promotion," Naruto said leadingly.

"I think you're right. But can she handle our thanks, I wonder?" Sasuke said sensually.

The girls picked up what they were laying down. Hinata and Tenten and Fu arranged themselves around Hana. Fu began to massage her back while Hinata and Tenten each took one of her breasts in hand while kissing her cheeks.

Naruto pulled her down and had her settled on his prodigious prick within a minute, Hana putting her new dancer's skills to work to writhe on his lap. Sasuke displaced Fu to take position to penetrate the Lieutenant's ass, sliding his ten-inch Beta cock into Hana's bum.

Hana stopped kissing Naruto to groan. "I feel so stuffed!" She shouted in full voice.

Hinata and Tenten had maintained their grips on her boobs. Fu came around front and sat on Naruto's face, which put her in an excellent position to kiss Hana on the mouth. Hana enjoyed the minty taste of Fu's saliva, her eyes widening when her tongue lengthened and thickened until Hana felt properly triple-penetrated.

Under the intense stimulation, it wasn't long before Hana was sent crashing into orgasm, followed by another. And then another. Sasuke succumbed and came in her ass on her fourth climax, Naruto managing to make it to five before unloading. Hinata and Tenten enjoyed the psychic feedback while Fu was simply happy with a job well done.

They all collapsed into a heap, after Fu had sucked Naruto's and even Sasuke's loads out of her holes.

Hinata, feeling curious, remotely accessed the Invictus from the hotel's holo-projector. She blinked. "Wow. We have half a dozen calls from an Inuzuka Jack!"

Hana startled. "That's my dad! Everyone, get dressed! Get dressed! I'm not having my dad see me in the aftermath of my gangbang!"

They all got dressed in fresh, casual clothes from their purchases yesterday. Then, when the next call to the Invictus came, Hana was there to redirect it. This was the first time she'd be seeing her family since she was in the Port Heracles Medical Facility.

An olive-skinned, short man with handsome features and the same clan marks as Hana appeared on screen. He took one look at Hana and exclaimed "Hana!", his face lighting up with relief.

"Hello, father. Is everything alright?"

"Of course, of course, everything's fine! I was just calling over that news article. Why didn't you warn me you would be mentioned in KFNN?" Jack demanded, giving off a very feminine energy as he waved his hands.

"It kind of surprised me too. Naruto didn't warn me he gave me all the credit. Oh, and I've been promoted to First Lieutenant and been awarded a Nova Burst," Hana faithfully reported.

"I'm so proud of you Hana, that's amazing!" her father said, enthusiastically.

"It wasn't all my doing father," Hana protested. "I'm with an incredible crew and the Commander is wonderful," the brunette said, her eyes going dreamy for a moment.

Her father's observant eyes took in the expression on his daughter's face.

"Your mother and brothers are on shore leave in a couple of weeks' time. It would be lovely to have the whole family together, if you're able to make it too?" Jack asked longingly, missing his daughter.

Hana glanced to the side at Naruto, who nodded with certainty.

"Yes, I'll make sure I'm there," Hana said smiling fondly.

"Your mother and brothers all send their love. They'll be delighted to hear you're going to be able to make it!" her father exclaimed.

"Perhaps you could bring Commander Uzumaki with you as well?" her father asked with a knowing smile.

"I'll see father," Hana said with a happy laugh.

Inuzuka Jack smiled with delight to see his daughter looking so deliriously happy. It was a massive change compared to the haunted girl he had been so worried about a few weeks before. With his worries banished and the exciting news about Hana's exploits over with, Jack finally noticed the subtle and not so subtle changes his daughter had undergone.

"Oh my goodness Hana!" her father exclaimed in surprise. "You look absolutely beautiful!"

"Oh yes, about that..." Hana stammered. "I've been through a bit of a growth spurt recently. And I had work done on my... ears," the luscious Lieutenant said awkwardly, glancing down at her impressive bust.

Her father's startled expression softened as he looked at his daughter's beautiful face in the holo-image.

"You look wonderful Hana," her father said sincerely.

"Thanks father," Hana said, blushing slightly.

Jack reached out as though to cup the holo-image of his daughter's face in his hand.

"My beautiful baby girl," he sighed wistfully. "I'm so proud of you Hana-banana, I love you so much," her father said, his voice catching.

"I love you too," Hana said, with a warm smile. "I'll see you in a few weeks and I'll bring Naruto!" the brunette said, realizing the cat was out of the bag.

"I can't wait to see you and I'm very interested to meet him!" her father said, smiling happily.

They waved goodbye and ended the call.

Hana turned to look at her friends and lovers, feeling self conscious as her two worlds; her home life and her life here on the Invictus intermingled so suddenly.

"He seemed so lovely," Hinata said wistfully, hugging a tearing Tenten. "He was even better than my own dad," she lamented.

Tenten began to cry as the Pack huddled around the Karron girls. "He's everything I ever wanted in a father! You're so damn lucky!"

"I'm sorry you were abandoned, Tenten, and that your father died, Hinata. I'm sorry the call stirred up some bad feelings," Hana said sincerely while hugging both girls.

"I think it's time that we went home," Naruto said decisively. "Your workshop and our new guns and armor will distract Tenten, and flying us to Suna will distract Hinata."

They all packed, carrying the bags with the help of porters from the hotel. They took their complimentary hover-limo to Gravitus Spaceport Alpha, the girls and guys taking the time to admire the gunship in the sunlight.

"Six turreted Gatling Lasers, two forward-facing Laser Cannons. Not a bad loadout for a ship this size," Hana analyzed.

"It handled like a dream. I think I'll start Fu flying this before teaching her on the Invictus," Hinata mused.

"Fu is happy to be useful for Alpha's crew. This one would love to pilot the Raptor!" Fu chirped.

"Itachi and High Command must really want us on their good side to give us a top-of-the-line gunship like this."

"I'm just picturing the day we manage to reach its capacity of 30. That would require a really, really big bed in the Commander's Quarters," Tenten mused.

Naruto chuckled. "Let's just hope it holds all our luggage."

They loaded in, flying up to Olympus Shipyard in fifteen minutes. They flew the Raptor into the Docking Bay of the Invictus, the ugly Nuke dropship gone, presumably whisked away by R&D.

Tenten noted with approval that all the crates near the Invictus had disappeared. "One of the best equipped Engineering Bays in the Konoha Federation is above us. I could kiss you, Naruto."

"So why don't you?" Naruto asked, leaning down to kiss his Chief Engineer.

They all transported their wardrobes to their respective rooms. Sasuke shoved Naruto's half of the closet to the side and crammed in his own gear. Hana, Tenten, and Fu used their unused room's closets. Then the crew went up to the Bridge sans Tenten. The Karron native went down to the Cargo Bay to analyze the XR75 Rifles and Phalanx Alpha armor before transferring both to her workshop with the new loading ramp.

Hinata glided the Invictus to the Nav Beacon, watched closely by Fu, before the ship went into hyperwarp. "4.9 days until we get to Suna!" Hinata announced.

"I'm going to go check up on Tenten. You guys do what you want," Naruto informed.

Sasuke shared glances with the girls. "Drinks in the Lounge?"

"Sure, I need one after that talk with my father," Hana agreed.

"I'd like to memorize the stars in the Suna Collective, if you don't mind. I'll be down in time for lunch," Hinata stated.

"This one would enjoy some alcohol. This one does not often get it from her masters," Fu said.

Naruto got in the elevator and went down to Deck 7. He walked down the hall to the door that now had "Engineering Bay" over the door. He walked in and was amazed at the transformation. Where once there was an empty room, it was now filled with complex, expensive looking machinery. Tenten was at a central podium, which served as both console and workbench. She already had an XR75 Rifle disassembled and arranged in an exploded view.

"Whoa, you work fast," Naruto marveled.

"I've already got the Mass Fabricators working on the parts for the prototype. Give me two days and I'll have a prototype Laser Railgun and some discount Uzu Armor. It'll take about two days for each pair, so I hope we don't get into any conflict anytime soon."

"We're going to the Suna Collective, they're so pacifistic I'm surprised their Navy has guns. You should have plenty of time to assemble our arsenal. Now, are you done? We're all getting day drunk in the Lounge." Naruto gave her a hopeful look.

"Yeah, I'm just waiting for the parts to come out. I could go for a martini, I'm still not touching vodka just yet, not after last time." Tenten left the disassembled rifle and joined Naruto in heading for Deck 2. Where they all got delightfully buzzed before Naruto made them a tasty lunch and they moved to the Gym for a makeshift pool party.

* * *

Meanwhile, many light years away, a foreboding figure brooded in a gothic throne, watching the Konoha Federation Network News on an overhanging monitor. He had just finished watching some air headed reporter fawning over some half-baked "hero" and he snorted with derision.

"The K-Feds must be getting hammered by the Kumo if they're resorting to this dross," the man thought to himself and sneered derisively.

A digital readout flashed on the machine next to him as the complex decryption algorithms went to work on the incoming message. The man looked at it with interest, hoping that perhaps this might alleviate his boredom. He read through the message and a sinister smile spread across his face.

"Oh dear Mr Uzumaki. It looks like you've made someone very angry," he said, grinning malignantly.

He rose smoothly from the throne and stalked purposefully through dimly lit corridors, the feeble red glow of the lights doing little to illuminate the brooding stone walls. He finally arrived at the storage vault he had dubbed 'the mausoleum' in a more whimsical moment and he approached an ominous black metal sarcophagus that loomed over him.

He wiped dust from the archaic control panel and entered the activation sequence, causing the sarcophagus to give a tortured groan as it cracked down the centre. The man caught the hint of movement from inside the darkened tomb as the occupant began to rouse from their slumber.

"Yes... you'll do nicely," he gloated in self satisfaction.

* * *

The Uzumaki Pack came into the Officer's Lounge, soaking wet and giggly from an afternoon of cocktails and dives into the pool. Fu had given a luxury level water ballet once she had enough vodka, which appeared to be a common weakness of the girls. Naruto walked naked into the Kitchen, putting on an apron to protect from spatter.

Half an hour later, he brought out a platter of fried chicken, coming back with sides of mac n' cheese and collard greens. Everyone tucked in, Hinata and Tenten in particular loving the fried food."

"God, what did you do to this chicken?" Tenten demanded around a moaning bite.

"Tenderized, egg wash, flour and buttermilk, fried in vegetable oil. Simple enough to do," Naruto revealed.

"Yeah, but you've probably put in the ten thousand hours needed to do a task without thinking about it. You could cook in your sleep," Hinata argued.

"I think master's cooking is delicious," Fu said

Everyone paused like a bomb went off. "Fu… you said 'I'," Sasuke said in the silence.

Fu blinked. "This one… Fu… I guess I did," Fu finally managed.

Naruto cheered and left his chair to plant a big smooch on Fu's lips. "I'm so proud of you, Fu. You've grown so much this last week! From nameless to recognizing yourself as a person! You're getting the good loving tonight!"

Fu grinned and blushed. "I haven't been claimed in the ass yet," she said leadingly.

"Everyone, clean your plates. We got an anal cherry to pop!" Naruto declared.

The Pack put their cutlery away and then followed Naruto carrying a giggling Fu bridal style to their quarters.

Naruto laid Fu down on the bed, the others arranging themselves in 69's on either side of them. While Hinata and Hana began to lap away at each other and Tenten gobbled Sasuke's cock, Naruto gave Fu a long make out. His hands came up to massage her perfectly shaped green breasts, making Fu moan in pleasure. Finally, Naruto moved up and lay his thick pipe in between the lovely mounds of mammary tissue.

"I want you to get him nice and wet so he can slide right into your ass," Naruto instructed, squeezing together her boobs to make a delicious pillow for his crazy cock.

"I love and live to serve my master," Fu said in an obedient tone that really got Naruto's juices flowing. Fu seemed to almost dislocate her neck as she went down on the top half of his cock, the bottom half and his quad resting on her chest. Naruto thrust a little back and forth into that luscious mouth, turned on by the stimulation and the psychic feedback from his mates' oral loving. When Naruto was near the edge, he deemed himself wet enough. He pulled back and rolled he and Fu over so they both were facing the ceiling. Lifting her ass over a foot in the air, he lined up with her gaping asshole, Fu having enough body control to loosen herself up. With a kiss as a warning, Naruto slammed his dick home into his Nymph lover.

"Fuck! I… I feel very odd," Fu said, feeling an intense tingling all over her body.

"You okay, babe?" Naruto asked worriedly, trying to concentrate around the phenomenal heat wrapped around his cock.

"I… I feel like transforming. May this one do so master?" Fu asked, the others ending their mutual oral assault to look at Fu with concern.

"Sure, honey," Naruto said.

Fu let out a groan and, to everyone's shock, her clit enlarged until it was a copy of Naruto's Alpha cock.

"Shit, she's a Futanari!" Tenten exclaimed.

Hinata's mind was racing. "This must be a feature Orochimaru built into the Taki. They must have been organic alternatives to the Feeder."

"You mean that machine that stores his cum in a vat to be dispensed by nozzles down Thralls' throats? Yeah, I see how that could get boring. Making a whole species as a replacement seems excessive though," Hana mused.

"What I want to know, is can Naruto feel what Fu feels?" So saying, Sasuke bent down and took the head of the green cock in his mouth.

Naruto yelped as, on top of the stimulation of Fu's ass, he felt a wet mouth enclose around the top half of his cock. "That would be a yes," he groaned.

"Neat! Fu, can you grow one for each of us?"

"I… I will try," the Nymph said hesitantly. She furrowed her brows and, with a moan, three more copies of Naruto's Uzu cock sprung out from her flesh.

Hana had a wicked expression on her face. "Let's see how long the mighty Alpha can last from a quadruple blowjob ass fuck!"

"Yes!" Tenten cheered. Then, coordinated with the Pack mind, they all slid their respective cock down their throats.

Naruto almost lost it then and there at the feel of four throats and an ass around his manhood, each one rippling and stroking him slightly differently. It was a tsunami of stimulation, and he clung to his hard-earned endurance by a thread. And then they began to move as Fu began to writhe her hips in his lap. Naruto defied any man to last longer than two minutes under such pleasure. In no time, Naruto was unloading into Fu's ass, her funneling a portion to each member of the Pack.

Sasuke sat back, licking his lips. "We got to see if you can grow tentacles next time. You just might be able to fuck all of us at the same time. Maybe even double or triple penetrate if you can grow enough."

"I… I will try. But Fu asks for rest. That was very exhausting," the green hued girl moaned, sliding herself off Naruto's dick without asking for permission, another sign of her growing independence.

They all grabbed a quick shower, Fu receiving special attention from each Pack member, before they all piled into a puppy pile for sleep.

They woke up the next day to breakfast in bed, prepared by an early-rising Naruto. "Never had vegetables with breakfast," Tenten mused, spearing an asparagus stalk to run through the yolk of her eggs Benedict.

"Remind me to make you a full English breakfast one day. Tomatoes and mushrooms, delicious. Now, what's everyone's plans for the day?"

"I'd like to give Fu some practice time in the Raptor. I'll stop the Invictus in an empty system and let her go nuts," Hinata explained.

"I am eager to become a competent pilot and contribute to the crew!" Fu chirped.

"You contribute enough with your smile, babe, but I'm happy to see you happy. What about the rest of you?" Naruto asked.

"The Laser Railgun parts will be ready in two hours. I'll get ready to put that and the Uzu Armor together. Naturally, I'm working on your armor first," Tenten revealed.

Sasuke and Hana shared a glance. "We'd like to spar with you, if you're up for it," the martial arts prodigy asked challengingly.

"Same rules as standard, you lose and we fuck you. You win and you fuck us," Hana said with a gleam in her eye.

"I'm game for a little two-on-one action. Okay, we have our plans. Uzumaki Pack, run out!"

They all got dressed in sensible clothing and then went for their respective Decks. Naruto could have sworn he felt the Invictus slow as he and Sasuke and Hana entered the Gym. They all got earned up and then arranged themselves in a triangle.

"Okay, a few ground rules. First, no powers. No Speed or Strength or Sleep, none of that. This is about technique. Second, I know it's hard, but try not to read each other's minds. You might have to fight alongside a non-Pack member someday, you need to learn to coordinate. Thirdly, this is just a spar. Go for the groin if you must, but know I'll take it out on you WHEN I win," Naruto said with a smirk.

Sasuke went into his fusion stance while Hana took the Special Ops stance. Naruto took his own Uzu stance and, figuring faint heart never won fair lady, charged forward first.

What followed was a masterful display of martial arts between three experts. There was no time for talk or jibes, every second focused on bringing their opponent down. Naruto jabbed and kicked with abandon, yet never lost control of his body. Sasuke proved that all the medals in a case in his bedroom back on Konoha were well earned. Hana showed that she indeed came from a family of practitioners.

It was a bit hard for Naruto to pin both at the same time, but he managed. Sasuke and Hana gasped for breath, held down by Naruto's superior weight. "What was that thing at the end there? It's like you dislocated your shoulder!" Sasuke demanded.

"A trick I picked up from a Kumo elder five years ago. I saved his shipment of Cyreikian eggs and he showed me a few moves as thanks." Naruto wiped the sweat from his brow. "That was a good match guys. I'm proud of you."

Hana straightened out her sports bra. "I supposed this is the part when you fuck us blind?"

"I was thinking about it. Why don't we wash off in the pool and we'll get around to it?"

They stripped and dived into the deep end. They cavorted for a bit, then Naruto wrapped Hana and Sasuke in his big arms. "You can thank Fu for this idea," Naruto said, before be focused and made a Psychic Construct of his cock directly above his real one. He lined them up with Sasuke's ass and Hana's pussy.

"How come I always get the fake cock?" Sasuke griped before he was penetrated and lost all thought of complaining. Hana just enjoyed having Naruto's hard hot length inside her. Naruto got a second workout thrusting up into them while treading water. Finally, they all released, their liquids being shot into the pool for the automatic filter to deal with.

Everyone reconvened for lunch. In keeping with the brunch theme, and wanting to reward Hinata for teaching Fu, Naruto made lobster scampi and lobster rolls for lunch. Hinata had a total foodgasm, and Fu wasn't far behind her. They went down to the Engineering Bay after lunch to see the fruits of Tenten's labor.

Tenten showed off her finished products. The Uzu Armor was in some kind of frame, disassembled but looking intimidating as hell. The grey armor seemed to be painted onto Naruto's hulking frame. The Rifle was almost unrecognizable, having a bigger stock, a second barrel, and now a second magazine in front of the trigger.

"I present discount Uzu Armor and a bootleg Laser Railgun!" Tenten said imperiously. "Naruto, step into the armor frame," she commanded.

"Okay, babe," Naruto said, stepping into the cuboid frame.

"Now stuck your hands in the gloves and press the button by your right thumb."

Naruto did as he was told. In a rush of motion, mechanical arms fitted the arms, torso, back, and legs of the armor into place on his body.

"Good, it works. Now touch your left thumb to your palm."

Naruto completed the odd motion and heard a series of clicks like a knife being run up a comb. Naruto moved and the armor moved with him. A four minute dress time had been shortened to under ten seconds.

"Brillant, honey! What inspired this?" Naruto asked after activating external systems in his helmet with a couple blinks.

"The Nuke, actually. Their carapaces were locked with a series of hooks. I simply replicated it. It's an improvement on the original Uzu Armor design, actually. Guess the Uzu tech isn't automatically perfect. I didn't have time to hook up the force field generator or the retrothruster, so it's basically a suit of armor and nothing else," Tenten explained.

"That's all it needs to be," Naruto assured. "Now let's see this Laser Railgun!"

"Grab it and take it to the Firing Range, Hercules," Tenten instructed, leading the others out the room.

Naruto hefted the prototype weapon. "10% lighter my ass. More like 50% heavier," he grunted, getting used to the weight.

*Sorry. I replaced all the parts I could with a lightweight polymer, but the extras weigh a ton. I'll try to outfit it with an anti-grav generator when I have time,* Tenten projected.

*No, no, just needs a brief adjustment period,* Naruto told her. He walked into the Firing Range, where Tenten motioned for him to give her the Railgun. She slapped a case of odd metal shells into the second magazine and cranked a knob on the stock to its lowest setting.

"First setting is what I call Railgun Light. It fires at half the power, the standard K-Fed ammo going into a magnetic sabot that's accelerated by rails in the barrel much like with the Mass Drivers. There are 250 sabots per case, or 5 clips of standard ammo. Go on, give her a whirl," Tenten lectured before handing her baby back to Naruto. Tenten hit a button and a wall of titanium came up in front of a target.

Naruto aimed for center mass through the sheet, the scope seeing past it. He squeezed the trigger.

"Prkow!"

Naruto and the others gaped. There was an inch-wide hole in the titanium sheet and the dummy had been blown to bits.

"This thing is deadly! Kind of loud though," Naruto noted

"That was WITH a noise dampener built into the barrel. Take it or leave it. Now crank up to setting two," Tenten instructed, hitting another button that brought up another five sheets and a dummy. "This is Railgun Heavy, or as I like to call it, 'Tankbuster', and that's with hollow point ammunition. Take a shot!"

Naruto aimed again and fired.

"PRKOW!"

Everyone jumped at the ear-ringing noise. If the first dummy had been blown apart, this one had been obliterated, and that was after five sheets of titanium.

Tenten nodded. "Obviously, Light will work for most enemies. But if you ever run into a Broodmother again or a similar scaled alien, Heavy is the way to go. Now go to Laser Light."

Naruto turned the knob clockwise and heard a faint whining hum come from the Laser Railgun. Tenten summoned another dummy, sans sheet.

"Again, this is at half power for the discount miniaturized Uzu Power Core in the stock. Aim carefully, we don't need you melting through the walls."

Naruto aimed at the dummy carefully and gently depressed the trigger. A beam of searing blue light emerged from the second barrel, vaporizing a hole in the dummy.

"The benefit of Laser mode is it can work on force fields and never runs out of ammo. However, even with Uzu heatsinks, the barrel will melt after a minute of continuous fire. So shoot sparingly until I can produce a stronger material. And we're not testing Laser Heavy indoors. We might depressurize," Tenten said helpfully.

Sasuke and the girls all clapped while Naruto detached his helmet and gave Tenten a big kiss. "This is the most awesome, deadly piece of hardware I've ever got to fire! Special Forces don't have gear like this! Thank you, honey, for all your hard work!"

"This mean I earned a gangbang?" Tenten asked hopefully.

"Everyone, to the bedroom!" Naruto said, running back to the Engineering Bay to replace the Railgun and get out of his armor. And then they proceed to blow Tenten's mind.

* * *

**Suna next chapter and some surprise action. Please fave, follow, or review.**


	21. Chapter 21

**I've been quite industrious. Expect daily updates for the next week. The benefits of no life, I can crank out a chapter a day. And faves and follows are now in the 80s! Yay! Now enjoy the first glimpse at the Suna and the adventure that begins in their space.**

* * *

The next few days passed in a happy blur. Tenten continued work on the Thrall Armor, using Fu as a handy model. Hinata grew in confidence in the pool, while Naruto, Sasuke, and Hana honed their martial arts skills. They all started having sex like bunnies on Viagra once Fu woke up with pointed ears. The girl burst into tears when she realized she'd been adopted into her master's species. They'd all comforted her and Naruto gave her one last full load to send her on her way.

One morning they were having breakfast when a chime went off.

"We've crossed into Suna Collective territory," Hinata illuminated.

After Hinata's alert had chimed that let them all know that they had just entered Grey space, they left the Officer's Lounge and all assembled on the Bridge, taking their usual places. Hinata darted up to the Executive Officer's station and brought up the Sector Map with the territorial line between the Konoha Federation and the Suna Collective clearly marked.

The Invictus had only crossed over the territorial line for a few minutes when Hinata noticed an incoming long distance hail.

"It's a Suna patrol," she said, looking at the transmitter's details. "How did they know we were in their territory so quickly?" she wondered curiously.

"The Greys have embedded sensors in asteroids all throughout these border systems," Naruto explained. "Not much gets into their territory without them knowing about it."

He turned to Hinata. "Put them up on the vid-feed please honey," he asked the beautiful bluenette.

Hinata nodded energetically, eager to see one of the Suna for the first time. She pushed a couple of buttons and then a holo-image of their caller filled the screen.

The Suna leader was a thin, grey skinned humanoid with an oversized bulbous head. The alien had huge, unblinking black eyes that stared out from the screen unemotionally. It turned its head slightly to the side as it pressed a button off screen, which clearly revealed that the creature had no visible ears.

"This is Leader Baki," the alien's whispery voice said as it echoed around the bridge. It was all the more strange, because the creature's tiny mouth had not moved when it spoke.

"Please identify yourself and state your business in Suna territory," the alien requested politely.

"This is Uzumaki Naruto on the Invictus. We're here to visit Suna as tourists and possibly to purchase an upgraded Power Core and Tachyon Drive," Naruto provided helpfully.

"The Invictus has been identified as a Konoha Assault Cruiser. That is a military vessel is it not UzumakiNaruto?" the Suna patrol leader asked in its eerie whisper of a voice.

"Yes, but I'm a civilian. A trader," Naruto replied. "You should have previous records of me trading with the Suna Collective in a Freighter called the Fool's Gold. I've recently purchased this ship and I'm here to upgrade its systems and don't want any trouble," he said reassuringly.

"You may proceed to Suna, UzumakiNaruto," the Grey leader confirmed after a momentary pause. "Please do not deviate from this flight path."

The Grey leader nodded to an off-screen compatriot and a couple of seconds later a flashing light on Hinata's console indicated the digital transfer of the new flight path to their ship. She accepted the new course and a path in orange was clearly displayed on the sector map, showing their route to the Grey's homeworld.

"Thank you Leader Baki," Naruto said magnanimously. "We'll follow your instructions."

The Suna leader ended the call abruptly, not bothering with any more pleasantries.

"I really hope they're nicer in person when we can use Telepathy. That was creepy, but he was basically speaking a second language," Sasuke thought aloud.

"How long until we reach Suna and can try talking with our minds instead of sound?" Fu asked, eager to test out her new array of psychic powers.

"23 hours. I could cut that in half but they said not to deviate." Hinata leaned back in her chair. "So breakfast tomorrow will be had on Suna. What kind of cuisine do they have?"

"They're vegetarians that eat moss and lichen they cultivate in caves. If we want to eat out, we'll have to pick one of the alien trading stalls," Naruto told.

"What's their homeworld like?" Tenten asked interestedly.

"A lot like a pre-terraformed Mars back in Konoha's system. A lot of red arid deserts. They're masters of anti-grav technology so their cities are floating and upside-down. Whatever you do, don't look up when we dock. It's a headrush," Naruto answered.

"Now we'll have to look up, won't we?" Hana teased.

"Anyway, I need to work on the second equipping frame and modify that second

Laser Railgun. Hinata, care to help me?" Tenten said standing up.

"Sure, it'll be like we're back on Karron. Only we both have boobs and tans!" Hinata chirped.

"Pool?" Naruto asked the others. "We can leave the Bridge free, we're in the heart of Suna space."

"I'm feeling more like the hot tub," Hana said, stretching.

"I'd be happy to race you for a blowjob," Sasuke said with hooded eyes.

"I love to swim! I'll happily join master," Fu purred like a cat.

The swimmers joined up with the engineers and they headed down to the lower decks as a group, chatting animatedly. They parted company as they neared the Gym, leaving Hinata and Tenten to head to the Engineering Bay. Tenten walked purposefully over to the podium in the center of the Engineering Bay and pressed a number of buttons on one of the consoles. Hinata followed after her, climbing the illuminated steps up to the podium and looking over her friend's shoulder as she worked.

"What are you up to?" she asked curiously.

"Just setting off another run with the Mass Fabricators," Tenten explained. "Once they have forged all the pieces from the schematics I've supplied them, I can assemble the pieces for the next set of equipping frames."

Hinata nodded and just watched her friend work. A few moments later two of the intricate machines at the far side of the Engineering Bay powered up, casting an orange glow over that corner of the vast room. The quiet throbbing of the rotating power couplings contrasted with the sharp intermittent squeals of metal being shaped.

Tenten pulled her long thick black hair back into two panda buns and then glided down the steps to her workbench. She pressed a button on the dimly glowing panel and the workbench lit up, levitating platforms rising on silent anti-grav trays, providing her a multi levelled workspace. Hinata walked over to one of the nearby weapon crates, lifted the lid and then handed over a stock XR75 to her friend so that she could begin her work.

Hinats leaned against the weapons container and sighed happily as she watched her friend work. The scene provoked strong memories of good times they had spent together when they were back on Karron, chatting excitedly over their plans to leave the mining asteroid.

"We finally did it," Hinata said wistfully.

"What's that?" Tenten said distractedly, her attention on the assault rifle as she separated the outer shell of the barrel to expose the interior components.

"We spent all those years talking about escaping from Karron and now look where we are!" Hinata said with a big grin on her face.

Tenten paused and turned to look at her friend. "To be honest, I'm still trying to adjust to everything that's happened over the last few weeks," she said, shaking her head in amazement.

The ravenette turned to look around the Engineering Bay. "I have all these toys to play with, equipment that I'd only dreamed about before!" she said in disbelief.

"I've gained a bunch of sisters and two amazing men," she grinned happily. "It's like I've been given a loving family and it's filled a part of me that I didn't realise how much I needed."

Ahh! That's so sweet!" Hinata said, feeling touched by the heartfelt sentiments and she hopped off the weapons crate to give her friend a warm hug.

Tenten held her friend tightly against her and sighed happily. They hugged each other for a while before finally stepping apart.

"You ever worry about the personality changes? I've made my peace with them but have you?" Hinata asked.

"Well, let's go through the list. I don't mind being bisexual, that just means I can have more fun. I find it hard not to jump everyone randomly throughout the day! The lack of jealousy is a blessing in my mind. Imagine if we were all cattily fighting for Naruto's attention! The submissive broodmare thing is a bit weird, but it's exciting and I was probably going to have kids eventually anyway. Any I've missed?" Tenten listed off.

"The misery at the thought of his death. The black-and-white view of our enemies. And I think we're naturally more obedient to his whims, even without the Astral Bond enforcing obedience to him," Hinata replied.

"Yeah, that first one sucks. But I'm not going to lose sleep over being immune to guilt from murdering bastards that oppose us. And he's not the kind of man to abuse that kind of power, so I'm fine," Tenten said, putting the finishing touches on the new Laser Railgun.

"You done? I'd like to join them in the pool," Hinata asked.

"Yeah, it'll be hours before the Mass Fabricators finish their run. I'll set up the Armor and equipping frame tonight," Tenten said, wiping her hands with a rag. "Let's join them in the death puddle," she joked, still afraid of so much water in one space.

Naruto and Sasuke and Hana were in the pool, laughing happily as Fu surged through the water showing off for them. They had all started off swimming lengths, but when Fu had grown her aquamarine coloured fins and began to swim under and around them, Hana and Sasuke had stopped to watch her in wonder. The green skinned alien girl had cavorted around in the pool, leaping out and doing flips for her appreciative audience, who cheered and applauded her aquatic acrobatics. Tenten and Hinata walked into the gym just as the Nymph left the water, curving gracefully through the air before disappearing under the waves with a splash.

"Wow!" Tenten awed, having not seen Fu's aquatic form before. She then drooled at the familiar but still welcome sight of her naked crewmates.

"Yeah, she's a wonder," Hinata agreed, stripping off to join the Pack by the side of the pool. Tenten hesitantly followed suite, and sat down on the side of the pool and dipped her toes in the water. Sasuke wrapped her in a side hug, knowing this was a big step for her.

"I think it's time we transition to the hot tub," Naruto stated standing up and his grower cock swaying as he stood.

Everyone obediently followed their Alpha to the covered hot tub. Naruto activated the bubbles and then climbed in, followed immediately afterwards by Fu and Hana who giggled excitedly. Hinata and Tenten were more reluctant, but they took Naruto's offered hand and stepped into the warm bubbly water to sit on either side of him. Naruto put his arm around each of them and they cuddled in to him while Sasuke did the same with Hana and Fu.

Naruto grinned happily as he looked around the hot tub. He was surrounded by four beautiful nude young women and one handsome man and currently had two of them in his arms. He brushed his hands against the luscious curvy flesh on the side of each girl's boobs, feeling their soft slippery skin under his fingers and hearing contented sighs from each young woman.

"So, what do you want to talk about?" Naruto asked.

"How about our powers? For example, the Future Sight Hinata used during the attack on the Stalingrad. How far does it go?" Tenten asked.

"The stronger you get at it, you actually start getting flashes of it passively. Actively, it can go as far as ten seconds, but that's so draining you could barely last ten seconds. It gets exponentially more costly the further you try to look," Naruto explained.

"Psychic Speed and Strength, do those scale or are they locked at one level and it just gets easier to use them?" Sasuke asked a little.

"A little of both. You have to master one level before moving to the next. At the absolute top, you could run on water or cause a small earthquake by punching the ground," Naruto lectured, the most experienced with the ancestral knowledge of the Uzu.

"Something I've been worried a lot about: Psychic Death. You can just… will a person's life away?" Hana asked with a shiver.

"It's the top-tier ability in the status ailment tree, but yes. In theory, I could kill an army with a look, but it'll be centuries before I'm at that level," Naruto comforted.

"I've been working on my shapeshifting. Is that a psychic power or something unique to my biology?" Fu asked.

"We'd need to ask Sakura if and when she joins, but I think it's a Taki thing. Orochimaru made you adaptable, at least with the ass-cock thing," Naruto reasoned.

"So we're definitely going for Sakura as a Medical Officer?" Hinata asked. "I get to act out my first lesbian fantasy?"

"I thought that was me," Hana said with a pout.

Before either of them could continue, the Invictus began to vibrate alarmingly and a loud alarm blared through the Deck.

"BWOOOP!" "BWOOOP!" "BWOOOP!"

"An Interdiction?!" Naruto exclaimed. "What the fuck?"

The girls and Sasuke looked at him in alarm and there was a rush of activity as they all scrambled to put on the bare minimum of clothing, as they were all completely nude. They sprinted for the elevator, diving inside the open door and throwing worried glances at each other, as they waited the excruciatingly long five seconds for the elevator to take them up to the command deck.

"Hana, get us a Tactical Map and power up the weapons!" Naruto directed the Lieutenant as he leapt up the steps to the command podium.

"Tenten we need full power to shields!" he instructed the ravenette.

"Hinata, get ready to bust us out of any trap," he ordered his XO.

"Yes, Commander," they all chorused. Fu sat worriedly in her inactive seat while Sasuke's sharp eyes analyzed the new hologram above their heads.

Passive scans came in. "Kusa raiders!" Sasuke said in shock. "What the hell are they doing in Suna space?!"

The Invictus trembled again as the big bulky ship that had pulled them so abruptly out of hyperwarp opened fire on them. Purple beams of virulent energy blasted out, gouging terrible scars into the armoured hull of the Assault Cruiser. A thunderous explosion rocked the ship and they had to hold tight not to get flung out of their chairs.

"What the fuck just happened?!" Naruto asked in alarm.

"Sorry Naruto, I couldn't get the shields up in time," Tenten stammered, trembling with fear.

She glanced at the holographic display showing damage control for the Invictus. A bright red mark covered the Tachyon Drive, data readouts cycling through information at a rapid pace.

"They took out the Tachyon Drive, we can't jump out of here!" Tenten said, bordering on the edge of panic.

"Naruto!" Hana called out in distress. "We've got incoming dropships, but the explosion damaged fire control! The defence grid is down and I can't do anything to stop them!"

"What do we do Naruto?" Hinata asked him, her face lined with worry.

Naruto reached past his panic to the calm center underneath. "Hinata and I get dressed in the Uzu and Thrall Armor and put the Laser Railguns through a field test. That second dropship is probably going to use a breaching charge. Sasuke and Fu, use your powers to repel that group. Hana and Tenten, send out a distress beacon and try to restore power to our guns. Otherwise, play dead. You have your orders, break!"

Hinata and Naruto rushed for the elevator and went for Deck 7 and the Engineering Bay. Tenten began frantically trying to reroute power around the ruined fire control tower while Hana sent out the signal she'd hoped she'd never have to. Sasuke and Fu tracked the dropships with their eyes, waiting for them to dock one way or another.

*Tell me about the Kusa,* Hinata projected as they raced for the Engineering Bay at Psychic Speed.

*Green hammerhead sharks, two of everything and I mean everything. Go for the head, but they have magnetic shields that render standard gunfire ineffective. Go for Laser Light mode, but remember what Tenten said about the heat buildup.* Naruto stepped into the equipping frame and went through the simple process of putting on his Uzu Armor. Then, still at Psychic Speed, Naruto helped Hinata assemble the pieces of her Thrall Armor for her to latch shut with her thumb gesture.

Naruto took a brief moment to admire the Thrall Armor. It highlighted the feminine curves of the body under it without appearing weak or flimsy. If anything, it weaponized the sex appeal of the woman wearing the armor. Then Hinata grabbed the Laser Railguns and tossed one to Naruto with Psychic Strength to counteract the Psychic Speed. Then they rushed for the elevator and made for the airlock.

They arrived just as the airlock spiraled up. Bulky armored invaders began to step through the yawning portal, their deep voiced roars echoing up the corridor.

*Take the one on the left!* Naruto thought as he dived through the elevator door and then skidded to one knee.

The putrid green skinned humanoids were wearing black and purple ribbed armour, that seemed to glint oddly in the light. Their four arms held a bulky shield in one set of arms and strange looking vertically handled rifles in the other. They had bulging black eyes on the sides of their hammer shaped heads and their high set jaws opened wide, as they roared in challenge at the Uzu.

Naruto sighted the Kusa in his scope and fired a blast at the roaring alien.

The roaring anthropomorphic shark's shoulder was seared by a bolt of blue light. It roared in pain, before being silenced by a follow up shot to its hammerhead.

Hinata's railgun whined as three rounds slammed into the other Kusa, hitting it three times in the right hand side of its torso.

Its entire right hand side was a ruined mess, the dismembered limbs flopping wildly as they dropped to the floor, twitching and spasming in a sickening display. The alien slumped over to its side, roaring its ineffectual defiance as it dropped the shield and attempted to pick up its dropped weapon.

Hinata fired a second time, this time the rounds slamming the Kusa in the head, searing a hole through the green flesh and blue blood to the purple brain tissues underneath.

Naruto and Hinata fired at Psychic Speed, firing and killing the Kusa almost as fast as the invaders could come through the airlock. One decided to cut and run towards the Cockpit of their ship, so Naruto ran through the intervening Kusa to snap its neck. Then he and Hinata engaged in a pincer attack to take down the last of the thirty Kusa raiders.

Just as the last corpse was falling to the ground, the Invictus shook and trembled with an explosion.

*That would be the second ship's breaching charge. Guys, what deck did they breach?* Naruto asked the Pack mind.

*The Gym! Fu and I are going down now. I'll finally put my Psychic Lightning practice to good use,* Sasuke answered.

*Don't bother! I can lock the door and flood the tanks for the pool. Turn off the artificial gravity and they'll drown like fish on land. Executing program… now!* Tenten crowed.

Naruto and Hinata shared a look. *So, we repelled borders?* Hinata asked.

*Seems like it. I picked up a Suna patrol on the long-range scanners. Once they show up and draw the Kusa's attention, we'll stop playing possum and attack from behind,* Hana reported.

*This one was hoping to show off her new form,* Fu complained privately.

*You'll get your chance on this crew, honey. I'm just glad you're safe,* Naruto told the Nymph. *Hinata and I are coming back up. We NEED not only to best the Kusa but ensure the Suna win. We need a tow job to Suna now.*

They took the elevator, stepping over all the Kusa corpses and were beginning to stink.

*The stories of war glory never mention that corpses shit themselves,* Hinata groused before the elevator door closed.

*Yeah, they leave that detail out,* Naruto agreed, before they stepped out onto the Bridge.

A quick glance at the Tactical Map showed that the enormous Kusa Cruiser still hovered nearby, ready to launch a killing strike on the crippled Invictus. Hana studied the enormous Kusa vessel with growing trepidation, staring at its bristling array of beam weapons and massive armor plating. Suddenly a soft chime from the Tactical Map alerted her to the rapid approach of incoming ships and they dared to let themselves feel a shred of hope.

Three ships jumped into local space, appearing abruptly as they dropped out of hyperwarp. She recognised the configurations as being Suna, from her time training at the Konoha Federation Academy. That seemed an eternity ago, but in reality was only a few months past. The disc shaped Suna vessels fanned out and bore down on the marauding Kusa Cruiser, approaching the much bigger ship at high speed.

The Kusa ship pivoted in place, turning forebodingly to face the Suna ships that were racing in to attack. Both sides shared the same firing range with their beam weapons and as soon as they were in range, all of the combatants opened fire; Searing blasts of laser energy connected the ships and lashed across their opponent's shields.

The Suna beam barrage struck with deadly accuracy against the stationary Kusa vessel and the coruscating red beams from their three ships converged on the purple and black plated ship, causing its shields to flare and wink out under the fearsome firepower. Four of the beams seared across the bulky hull and Hana grinned, expecting to see terrible devastation in their wake. She blinked in shock when she saw that the beams had barely marked the Kusa armour, the light from the system's orange sun reflecting oddly on the sparkling onyx surface of the armor plating.

Unfortunately for the Suna, they did not fare so well in the exchange. The Kusa returned fire with the pulsating purple beams from their weapon batteries and the rightmost Grey vessel was pounded relentlessly. The saucer's shields buckled under the overwhelming strength of the twisting violet hued beams, leaving the silvery hull exposed to the wrath of the Suna. The right side of the ship was sheared off as the beams cleaved straight through the defenceless craft, setting off internal explosions further around the wildly spinning disc. The lights on the Grey's vessel guttered and died, leaving the ship a lifeless hulk.

Hana decided it was time to stop playing possum and she unlocked a panel on her console that would allow her to take over navigation control of the Invictus. She powered up the ship's four massive engines, bringing the Assault Cruiser around in a smooth arc, to face the rear of the Kusa cruiser at point blank range. Fearing similar results to the Suna if she attacked with her energy weapons, she instead cycled straight through to the Mass Drivers and targeted the heavily armored engines directly in front of her.

"This is for ruining our morning," the Inuzuka snarked before letting loose.

The enemy Cruiser shuddered for a moment as the shells punched through the armor of the uppermost engine, driving four gaping holes into the armoured housing. A second later the shells detonated and the engine exploded outwards, the blackened armor ripping open and exposing a gaping wound in the back of the ship.

Hana let loose with her Beam Lasers, firing straight through the upper half of the Kusa Cruiser. She finally cycled to the Laser Cannons and began to pour laser blasts into the gaping weak spot in the Kusa's heavily armoured hull, debris fragments exploding outwards from the cascade of laser fire. The Kusa attempted to react to the lethal ambush that had assaulted them from behind, turning their ship to try and protect the crippled rear of the vessel.

The Lieutenant ceased fire when she no longer had a clear shot at the enemy's rear and she rolled the Assault Cruiser awkwardly and pulled away, trying to escape the terrible vengeance of the enraged Kusa. A barrage of purple beams lashed out at the Invictus, scything over the shields with powerful blasts of focused energy and causing the shield status hologram to go from a healthy bright green to a sickly dark red in a matter of seconds.

Hana glanced at the shield strength in fear, seeing that they only had 12% shields left and the Kusa was pursuing her and still in range for another barrage. Bracing herself for the coup de grace, she squeezed her eyes shut, cursing herself for not being able to save the ship or her crewmates. When the killing blow never landed, she cautiously opened her eyes again to see what had happened.

Both she and the Kusa had forgotten the Suna, they had been so intent on fighting one another. As the Kusa cruiser moved to pursue the fleeing Invictus, the Grey's had suddenly been presented with the perfect target and the two remaining Suna ships poured an unceasing salvo of bright red beams into the exposed inner hull of the enemy ship. Explosions rocked the enormous Cruiser as the beams cut through the internals of the ship and with a stroke of luck, one of the beams speared the Power Core.

Hana watched in awe as the huge enemy vessel listed on its side, then detonated in a tremendous explosion. The ruptured fusion core consumed the Kusa with its violent death throes, sending a tremendous blast wave out from the devastated ship. The Invictus trembled as it rode out the blast wave, the severely weakened shields just barely strong enough to protect them.

She breathed out a huge sigh of relief and slumped in her chair, never imagining she would be so relieved a fight was over. A light flashed on her console indicating an incoming hail and she pressed the corresponding button that would answer the call.

The image of a grey skinned humanoid filled the vid-feed, its huge unblinking black eyes focusing on Naruto.

"This is Leader Baki. We wish to apologise for the attack on your vessel within Suna territory." Leader Baki murmured in his quiet eerie voice.

He didn't sound very sorry, but the Grey's hadn't shown any emotion yet, so Hana assumed that's just the way they were.

"Apology accepted Leader Baki." Naruto said graciously. "But we were crippled when the Kusa attacked and our Tachyon Drive has been destroyed. Would you be able to tow us to a safe port please?" he asked politely.

Linnaeus nodded his agreement and ended the call abruptly.

Sasuke blew out an explosive breath. "That was close! The closest I think the Invictus had ever come!"

"Luckily, we managed to repel boarders and I got a few lucky shots in on that Cruiser," Hana said.

Tenten bit her lip. "Something's bothering me. I'll have to wait until we dock and I can use Material Sight, but I think their armor is an Onyxium alloy."

"The element that's basically solid ectoplasm from the Astral Plane? That only pops up around spatial anomalies or if an Uzu mines it?" Naruto asked worriedly.

"The very same."

"Does that mean master has a rival supporting the Kusa?" Fu asked.

"They'd need a Wormhole Generator to get this far into Suna territory undetected," Hinata mused with steepled fingers.

Naruto sighed. "Well then, we'll have to hope the Suna are up for an alliance. And that they don't shoot us on sight if I reveal myself as an Uzu."

They all went down to the Lounge to get drunk and forget the troubles of the day for a while. Naruto made them a fast dinner of chicken and vegetables, which turned into an exercise in dexterity with their impaired coordination.

"Naruto, I want to show everyone what I've been working on!" Fu said once her belly was full.

"Sure thing, honey. What form have you been working on?" Naruto asked, sipping his sake.

Fu stripped her clothes, to cheers from the Pack. Then, in a shimmer, there was a green 900 lb tiger where Fu had stood.

"Whoa!" Sasuke gaped.

"She's beautiful!" Hinata gushed.

"She's the size of a rhino, she's deadly is what she is," Tenten countered.

Fu licked her three-inch claws before shimmering back into her Thrall form.

"Are you proud of me, Naruto?"

"I am. I'm even more proud that you've started saying my name!" Naruto cheered.

Fu blinked. "I didn't even notice!"

"You're growing more and more every day. You're so much more than just a sex toy for Orochimaru or those despicable Konoha anymore," Sasuke said wisely.

"I say we all celebrate Fu's milestones by making her the star of the show tonight," Hinata purred.

And so they retreated to the Commander's Quarters, leaving worries of the Kusa and rival Uzu and alliances with the Suna for another day. They just focused on each inflicting at least one orgasm each on the helpless Nymph. It ended with Naruto pumping an extra-large load into her womb, which she funneled internally to her stomach. They all fell asleep to the lights of her absorbing the psychic energy from Naruto's cum.


	22. Chapter 22

**We meet Gaara in this chapter, and the Invictus begins to get a face-lift.**

* * *

They awoke the next morning refreshed. Hinata claimed the honor of the morning blowjob since she'd gone a week without ingesting Uzu cum. They others had a filling breakfast in the Officer's Lounge, anticipating a long day. Then they went up to the Bridge to await arrival at Suna.

Naruto, Sasuke and the girls settled into their places on the Bridge and a few minutes later the Invictus dropped out of hyperwarp in the Suna system, the center of power in the Suna Collective. There were in the presence of a single star and it bathed the holographic System Map in a warm yellow glow. Suna was a small reddish orange planet out on the sixth orbital path around the star and when Hana brought up the Tactical Map, dozens upon dozens of orbital factories and refineries could be seen dotted around the system.

A button on the console flashed, indicating an incoming hail and Hinata pressed the button to accept the call. Leader Baki's bulbous grey head filled the viewscreen, his huge unblinking eyes studying them unemotionally.

"Welcome, UzumakiNaruto, to Suna. We have towed your ship as requested. You have been granted clearance to dock at the planetary shipyard," he said in his machine-generated voice.

Naruto nodded. "We thank you for you generous service. I must ask though, what are Kusa raiders doing so far into Suna space?"

Leader Baki did not blink or otherwise react. "I'm afraid that's classified, UzumakiNaruto."

Naruto decided to take a risk. "Very well. But if you'd be so kind, could you pass on a message to your superiors?"

"I will consider it," Leader Baki said unemotionally.

Naruto took a breath and tilted his head to show off his ears. "Tell them a brother of Orochimaru is helping the Kusa. And another has arrived willing to help the Suna."

That got a reaction. Baki's jaw dropped and his vestigial eyelids came down multiple times. Naruto could have sworn he heard a murmur coming from his ship.

"Please standby, UzumakiNaruto," Leader Baki said before cancelling the transmission.

"Hopefully I didn't just paint a bull's-eye for their planetary defense weapons on us," Naruto said nervously.

"They'd be idiots not to give you a chance. Sure you might enslave them but you might save them. Even at 50-50 odds, that's the smart choice," Hana reassured.

"You realize you're going to be discussing with them as if you were a galactic power in your own right? We may have the schematics but we're months if not years away from an Uzu-grade vessel," Sasuke cautioned.

"Master will do what he thinks is best, and we should trust in him," Fu said decisively.

Tenten scanned the traffic in the system. "Suddenly we're getting a wide berth. Safe to say they remember Orochimaru's reign. If his empire stretched to Taki, safe to guess he once controlled everything the Suna once held. And that includes Konoha."

The button for a comm channel began to blink again. Naruto pressed it to see Leader Baki again. "You have been requested to meet with the High Council of Suna. Please follow the provided flight plan in a dropship. Your vessel will remain safe under our supervision." With that, he cut off the comm.

"Meeting the planetary government, that's exciting," Hinata said lightly as they began to file into the elevator to go to Deck 9.

"Let's hope we make a good impression," Sasuke worried, knowing just how much power a governing body had on one's home planet.

They stepped over the rotting corpses of the Kusa to make it to the Docking Bay. They loaded into the gunship that had been a gift and lifted out of the Invictus. Leader Baki's ship suddenly looked much bigger as they followed the orange flight plan that had been uploaded to their computer. They soon entered the atmosphere of Suna and found it to be a dry, desert planet with cities of gleaming silver.

They looked out of the windows of the Raptor and saw that they were rapidly approaching a tall spindly spire, that curved out into a dais with a spherical building in the center and a number of landing pads surrounding the dome. They touched down on one, and a small Grey in white robes approached them. They all went out the loading ramp to meet the diminutive alien.

"Greetings, UzumakiNaruto. I am High Councillor Gaara. Please follow me," the Grey said, his whispery voice coming from a collar he wore.

"Greetings, High Councillor Gaara. We can speak with our minds rather than our voices if you prefer," Naruto offered generously.

The Grey visibly hesitated before Naruto felt a knock on his mental door. *Yes?*

*Oh, my,* Gaara thought in a soft, melodious tenor. *You are not at all what we expected, UzumakiNaruto,* the Grey said.

*I do my very best to be the exact opposite of your typical Uzu. But we should discuss this indoors,* Naruto replied.

*Yes, we should.* Gaara led them up to some ornate double doors with strange alien glyphs inscribed on the silvery metal of the frame. Naruto looked up at the domed building that towered above them and noticed more of the ornate scripting covering every inch of its metallic surface.

*Those are Uzu runes!* Tenten mentally exclaimed, reading the paragraphs of protection and peace and clear mindedness.

*Guess we have confirmation that Orochimaru created the Suna as well,* Sasuke thought.

The doors slid open silently in front of them, allowing them access to the large foyer within. The light red dusting that covered the ground stopped abruptly at the entrance, light gusts from some kind of filter set in the floor blowing the dust backward in tiny little swirls. High Councillor Gaara guided them over to the back of the spotlessly clean room; Councillor Gaara bowed again and then led them into a comfortable looking waiting area that had a number of plush seats and tables.

*Please be seated while we wait for the High Council to assemble. Help yourselves to refreshments,* the robed Suna said cordially in an open psychic broadcast, heard by all of them, gesturing to the rounded vase of light pink liquid and the crystalline cups adjacent to it.

Naruto's sharp mind caught the obvious implications. *You're bait, aren't you? Come to test my character. Tell me, were you ordered or did you volunteer?*

Gaara nodded *Indeed, I am meant to be a sacrificial lamb on your mercy, to determine whether you are like the Orochimaru of old who ruled with an iron fist or the Orochimaru of late whom sacrificed his life for the good of what you now know as the Galactic League. If you must know, I volunteered for the task.*

*How am I coming off?* Naruto asked genially.

*You are, if possible, even kinder than Orochimaru was in his best moments. Of course, this could all be a ruse to disguise your true intentions. Hence my presence here while my colleagues are safe in a psychic bunker, as you would think of it,* Gaara answered with total honesty. That was the thing about Telepathy, it encouraged sincerity. Even in politicians.

Naruto took a leap of faith and let down all his walls. *If you would prefer, we can skip an interview and you can take a deep dive into my mind. I swear on the lives of my crew not to attack you or defend myself in anyway.*

Gaara blinked, which Naruto was learning was a show of extreme emotion for a Grey. *That… that is most generous. And would answer a great many questions we all have. But are you truly alright with baring your very soul and every secret to me?*

Naruto took comforting encouragement from his Pack before nodding. *We've got nothing to hide,* he projected solemnly.

Gaara sat up and reached out to lay a hand on Naruto's. Naruto noted how cool and smooth his skin was, like glass or ice. *I will attempt to be gentle,* he heard before he saw Gaara's Astral form detach from his body and fly right at Naruto's face. He did his best not to flinch.

And then he was remembering everything. Learning to ride a bike under his grandpa's watchful eye. The burns his grandma had patched up as he was first learning to cook. Going to the Academy and beginning to experiment with his sexuality. Countless boarding actions as a Marine aboard the Invictus, fighting alongside his brothers and sisters in arms. Retiring when it was all too much and buying a rusty discount Freighter. Confronting his Guide, and the year-long battle for his sanity until he found his totem. And then his entire adventure since meeting Hinata, falling in love with one Thrall after the next, raising them to the level of the Uzu in blatant disregard of normal practice for his kind. Finally, a tough confrontation with the Kusa and taking the plunge to meet the Suna. And of course, hours upon hours of sex.

Gaara withdrew his hand, his eyes even wider than usual. *Oh my… you are NOTHING like what we expected, UzumakiNaruto.*

*So, do I pass the test?* Naruto asked nervously.

*With flying colors. I believe you could be the most beneficial ally the Suna Collective has ever had.* Gaara stood up. *Let me lead you to the High Council Chambers.*

The Grey glided away and headed to the big double doors at the other end of the chamber. Naruto walked over to join the rest of the crew, as they rose from their chairs. They followed the councillor into a large spherical room, with a curved dais at one end, where eight Suna in white robes were seated, the ninth high-backed chair currently empty. Councillor Gaara bowed towards Naruto and then glided over to the platform and sat in the ninth chair.

The Grey seated in the middle had an ornate silvery chain around its neck, that glinted in the light as it rose to its feet.

"We gratefully appreciate your willingness to meet with the High Council, UzumakiNaruto," the robed alien said in its quiet whispery voice. "My name is Senior Councillor Rasa."

"Greetings to you, High Council, from the Uzumaki Pack of the Invictus. As I told Councillor Gaara, we can speak with thought rather than sound if you prefer," Naruto said magnanimously.

The Council all seemed to glance at Gaara, who nodded. Then Naruto felt multiple knocks on his mental shield. He opened it and found himself in the equivalent of a psychic conference call. *Very well. Let us get straight to business. My son has proposed that we offer you a treaty, with himself as ambassador. Do you consent?* asked a deep bass that Naruto assumed to be Rasa.

Naruto blinked. He turned to Gaara. *Two questions: one, you're a prince? Two, you want to join my crew? You're aware of all the implications of that, perhaps better than anyone else in this room.*

*I am not in the line of succession for Senior Councillor. My post was earned democratically. And yes, I am. I believe you are the best hope for my people, and I volunteer myself for the sake of an alliance between our peoples.* Gaara blushed. *On a personal note, I find you and your curvaceous companions to be the pinnacle of beauty I have found in my life. I would be honored to serve as your Thrall, having seen how you treat them.*

Naruto tuned into the Pack mind. *What do you guys say? Fancy a Grey on the crew?*

*I'm up for it. His growth spurt will be even bigger than mine,* Hinata said.

*I am always happy to see you expand your power base, Naruto,* Fu offered neutrally.

*An ambassador from the High Council in our bed, ain't that a head trip?* Sasuke wondered.

*Gaara seems nice. He can be Comms, given he's a master Telepath,* Hana offered.

*I'll work on the Beta Armor after I'm done with the Thrall Armor. He'd look good at 6'1 and with a Laser Railgun,* Tenten mused.

Naruto nodded. *What would be the terms of this alliance?* He asked the High Council.

*Of immediate concern is the threat these Kusa pawns of the mystery Uzu hold. They are wreaking havoc on our internal structure and it is not an exaggeration to say they present an existential threat if left unchecked. Once they are dealt with, you promise to respond whenever the Suna Collective has need of your help,* Senior Councillor Rasa stated.

*And what's in it for me?* Naruto asked simply.

*Access to the accumulated resources of our entire species. All that we have would be at your disposal. And should you ever find yourself in a conflict, the Suna Collective will swear to help you,* Rasa listed, his bass voice somehow pleading.

Naruto considered it along with his Pack. *We accept to all your terms. We'll need two days to retrofit our ship. My crew will analyze and trace the Kusa to their base after this meeting. We'll get on the process of converting Gaara immediately. My Chief Engineer will send you the list of components for your Mass Fabricators to work on. I intend to at least double the effectiveness of my ship, and we'll need to work together to do it in the time allotted. Are we agreed?*

The High Council blinked as one. *You agree to our alliance?* Rasa asked to clarify.

*Indeed. Time's a-wasting. Shall we shake on it? We can draw it up and sign something if you insist,* Naruto said, standing up.

Senior Councillor Rasa and the rest of the High Council all stood. *We may shake. Thank you, UzumakiNaruto, for your generous acceptance of our proposal!* Rasa said emphatically. He reached out a small grey hand which Naruto took in his big grip and shook firmly. And with that, history was made.

The Pack split up after that. Sasuke and Hana followed a Councillor Kankuro to the analyst teams of the Suna, to determine the size of the enemy force and its location. Councillor Gaara, or rather Ambassador Gaara, volunteered to lead the rest back to the Raptor, to the Invictus, to the main drydock of Suna.

Naruto led Gaara back to the cabin in the Raptor while Hinata flew them back to their damaged home. *This isn't as romantic as I would want, but we need to get a move on. We have an appointment with Hana's family in a week and I want your transformation finished by then so you can meet them.*

*I would be honored to meet the family of the resplendent goddess Hana,* Gaara said enthusiastically. *I understand that I will not remember the first two times. I hope that I prove pleasurable to you, master.*

Naruto waved his hand. *Only Fu gets to call me that and we're working her out of it. I'm your Commander or your Alpha, nothing more.*

*Apologies,* Gaara said, bowing his head.

Naruto sat down in the King-sized bed in the Raptor. He reached for his belt and tried to think sexy thoughts. Gaara had a great personality, it seemed, but physically he was quite unappealing to the Uzu. Still, getting hard was his natural state, so he managed to get a workable erection up for the Grey's benefit.

Gaara blinked. *Oh, my. My culture is obsessed with spheres and spires. Our best architects could make a monument to this phallus!*

Naruto snorted. *Funny as it is to imagine a statue of my wang somewhere on Suna, shouldn't you be sucking?*

Gaara nodded. *See you in 14 hours,* was his last thought before he opened his mouth wide and gummed on the head of Naruto's cock. His black eyes went glassy and he slowly slide down Naruto's pole until his lips touched his quad. It was an extremely tight fit, and Naruto found himself cumming before they even touched down in the Invictus.

*Want to carry him up to the bed?* Hinata asked.

*No, let's leave him here. I get the feeling we'll be sleeping in here while they work on the ship.* Naruto laid a possessive hand in Gaara's inflated stomach. Like with Fu, it had only taken one dose to create an Astral Bond. He was officially his first male Thrall.

They went up to the Bridge to find a blinking intercom light. Naruto took his Command Chair and pressed the button. Leader Baki appeared on screen.

"Greetings, UzumakiNaruto. We have been ordered by the High Council to escort you to our best drydock. Please follow along behind us," the Grey patrolman instructed.

Hinata expertly guided the Invictus to follow the disc-shaped vessel. They soon descended into the atmosphere.

They approached a huge levitating plateau that was festooned with a bewildering array of spires and domes.

"How are we going to land on that?" Hinata asked curiously, seeing that the guide path was taking them directly towards it.

"We won't be landing 'on' it," Naruto said with a grin.

The Invictus drew ever closer to their destination and the guide path abruptly dipped into a huge canyon that led directly underneath the enormous shipyard. Many disc-shaped vessels were flying in and out of that enormous ravine on clearly designated flight paths, that were marked by rows of bright navigation lights. Their Assault Cruiser dwarfed most of the much smaller ships and the saucer shaped vessels gave them a wide berth as Hinata guided them skilfully into the canyon.

The colossal shipyard loomed overhead, casting them in shadow as it completely blocked the yellow glow from the sun. After a minute of careful flying, there was a warning chime to alert everyone on the Bridge that they had nearly reached their destination. Hinata brought the Invictus upwards, closer to the underbelly of the rocky surface underneath the vast shipyard and they could see row after row of docking bays dotting the rock face above them. Eventually they reached the bay that had been allocated to the Invictus and Hinata used the retrothrusters to lift them up into the huge rectangular hangar.

Massive robotic arms ending in magnetic clamps swung out from the sides of the docking bay and moved inwards to the fore and aft of the ship, locking them into position. Once they were securely fastened, the robotic arms rotated the ship 180 degrees around their horizontal axis, turning them upside down.

"Well, time to meet my army of loyal minions. They promised me 100 of their best engineers to play with." Tenten was practically giddy. "I'm going to change this ship so much it'll be unrecognizable!"

"I'm sure you will, honey. Let's disembark and then you can get cracking," Naruto encouraged.

They all went down to the Docking Bay, their airlock still occupied by the Kusa dropship, with another attached to Deck 7 at the flooded Gym. They walked out the Docking Bay to find indeed 100 engineers, Councillor Kankuro, and Hana and Sasuke.

"That was fast," Naruto marveled at his analytical crewmates.

"Would have been faster but the analysts claimed we were pulling shit out our ass," Sasuke grumbled.

"We showed them the error of their ways," Hana said with a smug smile.

Councillor Kankuro nodded. "Their intelligence and deduction skills were something to behold. They deduced there are 3, soon to be 4 more Cruisers operating out of the Kappa Indarran system."

Row after row of Suna engineers stood waiting for them expectantly. They were dressed in silvery jumpsuits and were carrying a huge variety of delicate and complicated looking tools and components. Dozens of sets of huge black eyes stared back at them as they awaited their orders.

Tenten grinned at Hinata, her eyes gleaming with excitement, before she strode out purposefully to go and greet High Councillor Kankuro who was waiting patiently with the engineering crews.

Hinata smiled at her friend affectionately, pleased for her that she was fulfilling a lifelong dream of working on such vitally important and high tech work. She turned to her other side to look at Fu, who was watching Tenten with a smile on her face as the ravenette walked away purposefully.

"While she's acting as chief overlord of the Greys, you and I should get some practice in on the Raptor. There seemed to be plenty of empty spaces on Suna where we could let loose," Hinata told her green sister.

Naruto waved them goodbye and then turned his attention to Tenten, who was in her element.

"Hello everyone!" She called out boldly. "Thanks for agreeing to help!" she said, giving them her best winsome grin.

Councillor Kankuro stepped forward to meet her and gave her a slight nod of his head.

"Please let us know how you would like to direct the teams," he said in his quiet whispery voice.

"Ok then!" Tenten said excitedly. "Gather around everyone!" She called out to the horde of Suna engineers, who moved forward to listen to the perky ravenette.

"You can call me Tenten. I'm the Chief Engineer on the Invictus and I'll be co-ordinating the refit and repairs. Feel free to speak to me if you have any questions," she told them reassuringly.

"Firstly I'd like you to assemble two teams; let's call them 'Drive Team' and 'Core Team', to begin removing the destroyed Tachyon Drive and the existing Power Core from the Invictus. I also want the replacements prepared for immediate installation. Choose one representative from each team to report back to me with status updates, as soon as the old components are removed and the new ones installed," she said, gathering momentum.

"We need the Kusa dropships removed from the hull and moved out the way. 'Team Armor' will need to let me know as soon as that's done, so I can take a look at what makes that armor so resistant to energy weapons. Once I've reverse engineered the tech used for their armor plating, we're going to re-armor every square inch of the Invictus' hull with upgraded plating," she said enthusiastically.

"Oh and let me know before you remove that one." Tenten said pointing at the second dropship high up on the hull. "It's currently flooded!" she cautioned them with a grin.

"When that dropship is gone, 'Team Armor' will be able to repair the damage to the hull, so come and speak to me when you're ready to start." she requested.

"I'm planning to put in anti-grav tubes to replace the lift, so someone from 'Team Elevator' will need to consult with me, so we can come up with a blueprint. I want the central elevator in the Assault Cruiser removed and the elevator shaft widened," she ordered. "I'll give you the new dimensions for the lift shaft then," Tenten mentioned helpfully.

"Assemble another group called 'Team Defence'. They will be tasked with making the Invictus more resistant to boarding. I'm thinking anti-personnel turrets, reinforced buttresses for protection in firefights and ways of locking down and sealing sections of the hull to slow down the progress of boarding parties. Draw up plans with potential ideas and I'll review them with the team as soon as they're done," she suggested.

"We need a group called 'Team Gear'. I want you to collect the 10 sets of Body armor and 10 Assault Rifles I plan to upgrade and bring them out here so that we can begin prototyping and fabricating the components I'll need. I'll give you their current locations when you come and speak to me. I'm going to use miniaturised versions of our power core tech for the armor, so let me know if you don't have anything suitable already and I'll see what I can whip up," she said with a smile.

"I need 'Team Cleanup' to begin work immediately. There are Kusa corpses on the bottom deck and Deck 7. There are more in the flooded compartment, but I want to store two of them in the med bay for later analysis. I'll let you know when I drain the room and you can move the corpses right away. I want samples of their body armor, weapons and shields, so please find me a couple of undamaged samples of each and hand them over to 'Team Gear'."

"We'll need a 'Team Sensors' too. I've got a design for much better sensors, and I need a team to replace them under the armor plating while each plate is being replaced."

"Finally I need one Engineer to act as my consultant on your technology. I'll need to know how best to make use of the equipment you have here in the drydock," she explained reasonably.

The assembled Suna stared at her in stunned silence as she finished her long list of orders. Tenten frowned and clapped her hands sharply, the sound echoing like a gunshot in the deathly quiet of the drydock.

"You have your instructions, proceed!" she demanded imperiously.

They burst into motion. Councillor Kankuro came over to Naruto, who was watching his girl with pride.

*Gaara informed us that you like your Thralls strong and independent, but I'm still amazed at Tenten's strength of character. She is like a goddess, in both body and mind. I am much more accepting of my brother becoming your mate.*

*Gaara? Your brother?* Naruto asked in surprise.

*The two of us and our sister Temari followed in our father's footsteps into politics.*

*Might I ask about your mother?*

*There were complications with Gaara's birth. She died birthing him. He blames himself,* Kankuro revealed solemnly.

*I'll work on that with him,* Naruto promised.

Back with Tenten, she was discussing matters with Engineer Zanthus, her consultant. "I want to know more about the silvery metal I've seen you use on all your ships. What is that exactly?" she asked inquisitively.

"It is an alloy of Etherite crystals and the element you know as Aluminium," Zanthus explained for her.

"Your ship hulls are made out of Aluminium?" Tenten asked dubiously. "That doesn't sound like it would be very strong."

"Adding Etherite crystals makes the metal more malleable to our tools and then the metal hardens once the shape is formed," Zanthus said quietly. "The finished alloy is quite resilient and is known as Etherium."

"The shape is formed?" Tenten asked, puzzled. "What do you mean by that exactly?"

"I can demonstrate if you wish," Zanthus offered in his neutral tone of voice.

"Great!" Tenten said eagerly. "Lead on!" she smiled.

She followed after the Suna engineer as he led her to a large machine on a pivotable arm with three large emitters on one end. At the other end there was some kind of sensor array next to a floating display that was currently blank. She looked at the equipment, trying to figure out what it was exactly.

"We call this device a Psi-Shaper," Zanthus murmured.

Zanthus stopped in front of the machine and grew still, closing his eyes and looking like he was concentrating. Another nearby robotic arm swung into action, rotating around and then sinking downwards, as it moved to pick up a block of silvery material from a nearby stack. The arm rotated back towards them and then carefully placed the silvery metal near the elaborate machine. The arm with the emitters pivoted into place and loomed ominously over the block of metal.

"What form would you like me to shape?" Zanthus asked softly.

"Oh something simple. How about a section of armor plating?" Tenten said, thinking about how she was most likely to need to use the device.

Zanthus turned back towards the Psi-shaper and closed his eyes, concentrating intently. The sensor array seemed to be swathed in a green glow and the display began to list numerous alien glyphs before finally showing an image of an armor plating section. The three large emitters began to glow with an ethereal green radiance and the block of silvery metal rose off the ground and began to flatten and elongate, moving like liquid as it oozed into the form currently rotating in the display. Finally the shape was complete and the newly created armor plating section lowered to the ground.

"Neat! But why use the Psi-Shaper instead of straight Telekinesis?" Tenten asked curiously.

Engineer Zanthus blinked. "Most Suna lack the mind-strength to mold Etherium unassisted even once. Shaping it grows more difficult exponentially with each successive shaping."

"Really?" Deciding to experiment, Tenten gripped the armor plate with her mind, willing it to become liquid again. It obeyed, and she shaped it into a statue of Zanthus on a whim. "Here you go. Call it a thank you for teaching me about Suna tech."

Every Suna who'd witnessed what happened was gaping like fish. "Tell us, Tenten, are you the strongest psychic on your crew?" Zanthus asked in his whispery voice, awe clear even through the machine-generated sound.

Tenten snorted. "Hell no. That's Naruto or Hinata. They've been Uzu longest, they've had the most practice."

Engineer Zanthus gulped before bowing to Tenten. "If you could spare a few minutes of your time to reverse-engineer the Psi-Shaper, the Suna will be eternally grateful."

"Sure, just show me the schematics. I'll have your weakest engineer quad-shaping in no time. Now, all your drydock equipment is based on Etherite crystals? So if I'm going to use Onyxium, I'm going to need to make an alloy with Etherite crystals and Titanium, since that's the handiest metal we have."

Zanthus managed to look skeptical. "Can you really accomplish such a task in two days?"

Tenten grinned slowly. "Oh, Zanthus, you have no idea what I'm capable of."

Naruto got bored watching Tenten order around the Greys, so he, Sasuke, and Hana engaged in a light spar as had become their habit. Their use of Psychic Speed drew some eyes but the Suna remained on task.

Eventually, Hinata and Fu came back. They had a dinner of sandwiches the Suna had delivered and Naruto used Water Manipulation to whisk the sweat off their bodies. Naruto dragged Tenten away from her work with firm orders that she needed at least 5 hours of sleep before starting up again. They all passed out, woken at 2200 by Gaara stirring. They all observed the second mindless blowjob, and then they all went to sleep for real.

* * *

**Please fave, follow, or review.**


	23. Chapter 23

**Happy Saturday, hopefully yours was better than mine. But my woes are of no concern to you. Please enjoy.**

* * *

Tenten was up bright and early. She carefully extracted herself from the pile of bodies crammed in the relatively small bed in the Raptor. She noticed Gaara was awake, hand rubbing his slightly swollen middle. *Care to join me supervising the retrofitting?* She asked mentally.

*Very well, Tenten. I am curious to see how my people are following your masterful orders.*

It might have been Tenten's imagination, but Gaara already appeared taller than he had yesterday. His body was putting its high protein diet of Uzu sperm to good use. They both took the elevator down, reminding Tenten to have 'Team Elevator' go to work on the Raptor when they were done with the Invictus.

Tenten and Gaara took a walk around the Invictus. Tenten noted the ship looked almost naked without its Titanium armor plates. Diminutive forms of the Suna were faithfully pulling out and reinstalling old and new sensors beneath the plates. Tenten went to her floating bench and workstation, noting Zanthus waiting faithfully.

"Most curvaceous intelligent goddess, your formula worked. The first blocks of Invictium ore have arrived from our manufacturing plants."

"Neat! And did you get a wink of sleep? I don't need you collapsing on me," Tenten said as she lifted the lid off an ore crate to see a shimmery black metal inside. She looked at it with Material Sight and saw her theory had been right. The reflective nature of the Onyxium would reflect 35% of Laser fire, absorb 55% through its unique hexagonal energy matrix, and allow only 10% through to actually do damage. And successive shapings would increase the reflective factor by 5%.

"Suna can go three days without sleep by turning off inactive parts of our brains. I am healthy and able to continue today's work."

*He's telling the truth,* Gaara supplied.

Tenten nodded and then focused. "Well, someone has to replate the Invictus. Might as well be me!" She focused and used Telekinesis to lift and liquify the ore she'd lovingly named Invictium. Uzumakium didn't exactly roll off the tongue.

The black orb floated in the air. Tenten was about to shape it into a simple shape before aiming for at least hexa-shaped, when something odd happened. The Invictium began to turn white in ribbons and drips until the whole thing was white as fresh snow and shiny as a crystal snowflake.

"Well, that's unexpected," Tenten mused, shaping the ore into a cube and stepping forward to use Material Sight. "15% more reflective, huh. That means we only need to reach dodeca-shaped to be totally immune to Laser weaponry!"

*'Only', she says. I don't believe the whole of this engineering team acting in concert could dodeca-shape Etherium, let alone this new metal you've concocted,* Gaara said in disbelief.

*Luckily, we're Uzu. We're made of stronger stuff. But I'll still just go for hexa-shaped. That's 75% reflected and 25% absorbed.* Tenten rolled up her sleeves, tied her hair into buns, and went to work.

An hour later, her work was done and she was panting and covered in sweat. Gaara and Zanthus regarded her worriedly. But a pile of armor plates were stacked beside them, just waiting for the Suna engineers to fit them back onto the Invictus. That's how Naruto found them.

"Tenten, why didn't you use energy from us? The point of being Pack is to lean on and support each other!"

"I didn't… want to… wake you. Besides, I needed the exercise. I don't practice my psionics as much as the rest of you. Fu focuses on her shapeshifting and she still takes time to practice Psychic Speed and Psychic Lightning. I leveled up my Telekinesis a ton this morning," Tenten heaved.

Naruto sighed. "You did a good thing. And now you're sharing a load with Gaara. I want you healed back to top shape for the rest of the day's work." Naruto led them back to the Raptor, where Sasuke, Hinata, and Hana were hanging out. Naruto led his exhausted and nascent Thralls indoors and to the bedroom. Where he proceeded to feed them both a very sweet, delicious breakfast.

*Your seed is as sweet as your Thralls made it out to be,* Gaara said, sounding almost drunk. *And this Astral Bond makes the experience very rewarding. Such bonds are reserved for the best of friends and the strongest marriages among the Suna.*

*Happy to feed you, Gaara. But are you sure you've thought this through? Your transformation, by the end you'll be more Uzu than Suna. You okay with that?* Naruto asked worriedly.

*I am looking forward to my new height, musculature, and phallus. I welcome these changes.* Gaara grinned slightly, which for a Suna was like a beaming smile.

*In that case, what's your favorite color for when I give you hair?*

*Red, like the sands of my homeland.*

Tenten rubbed her distended middle. "I feel better already. I'm going back to work."

"The rest of us are packing a lunch and going to this spot I know. It's this waterfall that goes into a beautiful lake. Sure I can't tempt you?" Naruto needled.

"Water, swimming, yuck. You guys have fun. Juggling all these projects is like seventh heaven for me," Tenten assured.

Tenten walked out and everyone got strapped in to the Raptor. They ended up having a lovely time, enjoying the view and the clear water. They all ended up taking turns forming an Astral Bond with Fu, having sensed they'd reached the critical threshold to bond with her after she performed for them once again. It took three hours for everyone to bond to her, with the obvious exception of Gaara.

When they flew back, they all gaped. Instead of the usual gunmetal grey, the Invictus was a sparkly white that caught rainbows and glimmered like a Christmas ornament. Tenten was waiting proudly for them when they stepped out.

"It's all done but for the installation. They should be done by 0600 tomorrow. Who feels like dinner?"

They had free food that Gaara informed them came from the most popular carnivore restaurant on Suna, wildly popular with visiting aliens. Gaara himself had a dinner of semen on his knees. He looked like a blown up balloon with Naruto's load in his belly, but no one teased him. If anything, they were turned on seeing proof of Naruto's virility.

They all got a good night's sleep, Tenten forming the Bond with Fu and completing the Pack mind, the industrious Suna working tirelessly through the night, putting the finishing touches on the Invictus's makeover.

Tenten woke them all by jumping on the bed. "Wake up, wake up! You need to worship me for the genius I am after you see what I've done to the Invictus!"

*What you've done? I believe my people did most of the heavy lifting,* Gaara said, lifting a brow ridge.

"Point taken," Tenten said, losing some of her hubris. "But seriously, you're going to love it!"

Getting dressed, they flew the Raptor into the Docking Bay of the Invictus and touched down. Tenten led them all like she was a tour guide, leading them to the airlock.

"Improvement number one, defense against boarders," Tenten said, clicking a remote. In an instant, a wall came down in front of the airlock, a turreted Gatling Laser came down from the ceiling, and a bulkhead rose from the ground in front of the anti-grav tubes, cutting the hallway in half.

Naruto, an experienced Marine, clapped. "These are brilliant countermeasures, babe. If we'd had these, the Kusa and Nuke would have been toast before we got here."

"Thanks. Which leads us to improvement number two, anti-grav tubes. Now, instead of waiting for a lift, you just go up or down. You just need to step in and step out at the right level. It's not 'too' fast, so no missing levels with our reflexes." Tenten walked backwards into the blue-lighted tube beside a red-lighted one. She began to lift gently up into the guts of the Invictus.

They followed after her, coming out on Deck 2. She led them to the Commander's Quarters. There were three equipping frames in the corner. One was for Uzu Armor, looking intimidating even in sparkly white Invictium. One was for Beta Armor, which highlighted the cat-like leanness of the Beta build. And finally the Thrall Armor, looking sexy as it was protective for any female that wore it. A rack on the wall held Laser Railguns, four of them.

"The rest are split between the Engineering Bay and the Briefing Room. Invictium is a wonderful material. Nothing on Unobtanium, the Uzu superalloy, but it's a near perfect conductor of heat and tough as old boots. You can fire at full auto on Railgun Heavy and continuously on Laser Light without worrying about the heatsinks. I'll put the finishing touches on the Armors on the way to Hana's family. We should have these Kusa kicked in a day or two, right?"

*An enemy that has troubled us for weeks handled in 24 hours. Were you not Uzu, I would not believe it,* Gaara stated, rubbing his belly.

"We tend to do the impossible on this crew," Hinata said, rubbing the Grey's smooth head.

Tenten lead them back to the anti-grav tubes and onto the Bridge.

"Hana, fire up the Tactical Map," Tenten encouraged.

Hana went to her Tactical Chair and flipped a switch. A hologram appeared, much bigger than she was used to. Her jaw dropped. "I'm getting pings from four systems away! Our sensor range has quadrupled at least!"

"314% to be precise. And wait till you try out the weapons! I upgraded the shit out of those. We're lucky the Suna gave us carte blanche because those new focusing crystals did not come cheap!" Tenten gushed.

"The terms of the alliance were we'd get everything they had to offer so long as we were their shield and sword. It's only fair they shell out for our upgrades," Sasuke reasoned.

Hinata took her XO Chair. "Let's think about how we're going to take out the Kusa. I was thinking we tell the High Council to restrict traffic around Kappa Indarran, to make them desperate. Then we send in a vessel to draw them out and BAM! We take them out."

"Sounds like a good idea. Let's call Rasa and tell him the plan. Gaara, you have his transmission code?" Naruto asked.

Gaara sat at the Comms console. *My first task as Comms Officer, calling my father. There's irony in there, somewhere.* Gaara turned on the console and then input the code to contact his father.

Senior Councillor Rasa appeared above them in hologram. "Ah, UzumakiNaruto. I trust you are satisfied with the upgrades to your vessel," he said in the whispery voice of his mind translator.

"My sincerest thanks and compliments to your hard-working engineers. Now, we're calling about our plan of attack against the Kusa." Naruto took a stern expression.

"Very well. But I've been asked by High Councillor Kankuro to beg that the one named Tenten stay to teach at our Engineering Seminary," Rasa said flatly.

"Sorry, Rasa, she stays with me. Now, we want you to restrict the traffic around Kappa Indarran so they'll get starved, then send in a vessel or two to draw them out," Naruto explained.

"We already have, since it was discovered by Sasuke and Hana that it was their base. And I am not comfortable with the idea of using my people as bait," Rasa said.

"Ok then. We're going to need you to send some patrol ships on a route we'll supply for you." Naruto said to Rasa, looking to Hana who nodded and began plotting a flightpath for the Suna vessels.

"We'll follow close by and then intercept as soon as the Kusa attack," Naruto said decisively.

We will do as you request UzumakiNaruto." The Suna Senior Councillor agreed after a moment's hesitation.

"Rasa, I've got an idea on how to keep your people out of any danger for the next ambush!" Tenten interjected eagerly. "Please tell High Councillor Kankuro to look out for the schematics I'll send him."

"I will inform him Tenten," Rasa said and then ended the call.

"Right, let's get moving!" Naruto said, eager to begin.

Hinata contacted the Suna shipyard and requested leave to exit the drydock. The robotic arms holding the Invictus securely in place rotated smoothly and the magnetic clamps released with a loud clang, freeing the Assault Cruiser.

The beautiful bluenette girl grinned and dipped the nose of the ship, the Invictus dropping smoothly out of the drydock as she powered up the engines. Hinata winked at Naruto mischievously and then boosted the power, causing the 500 meter long Assault Cruiser to surge forward, flagrantly violating port speed.

"The handling has improved!" Hinata observed as they dashed out of the canyon and up out of the atmosphere.

"Our Power Core is 17x more powerful than our old one. I had them fit a few extra retrothrusters to use up some of the spare juice," Tenten explained.

"The firing arcs are all but doubled!" Hana marveled.

"Power to spare plus Invictium barrels plus the best focusing crystals capable with standard elements equals improved range, from the Gatling Lasers to the Beams. And wait till you see the Mass Drivers. Had a time and a half replacing all of them in time," Tenten elaborated.

"When you've finished having fun, could you plot a course to the nearest uninhabited asteroid belt please?" Naruto asked the exuberant bluenette fondly.

"Will do!" Hinata nodded and her hands darted over the console as the sector map around Suna sprang into life on the Bridge.

She found a swathe of asteroids in a nearby system that had already been fully mined. According to the System Map, all that was left of the exploited asteroid belt were floating hunks of worthless rock.

"Looks like we have a winner!" she grinned and laid in the course. "This can't be right," she muttered under her breath a moment later, as the course she had plotted was displayed on the map. "The Navigation computer is reporting that we'll get there in a fifth of the time it should normally take!" Hinata said with surprise. "Nothing's that fast!"

"Turns out the Suna based their Power Core and Tachyon Drive tech off Orchimaru's old ones. They have his old ship in a bunker on Suna. Anyway, they tried to reverse-engineer the tech, but they weren't me. Ours is the best possible version without using Uzu elements. We're the fastest thing in the Galactic League apart from this rival Uzu." Tenten was downright smug.

After only a few minutes, they had zoomed through several systems and arrived at the asteroid belt Hinata had chosen for their fire test. The bluenette girl brought the Invictus gliding into position, pointing towards a stupendously huge hunk of rock on the edge of the asteroid field, that could well be classified as a small moon.

"Powering up main batteries," Hana said, feeling her heart pounding in her chest.

She took a firm hold of the armrest controls and the holographic targeting array hovering in front of her, cast a soft blue glow over her beautiful features. The brunette flipped off the safety switch and pressed the red button on the top of her right controller. The armored panels covering the Mass Drivers slid to the side, revealing the barrels of the 200m long rail guns.

"Weapons armed Commander," Hana stated, falling back into familiar Konoha Federation protocol as she looked at the gigantic asteroid through the holographic targeting grid.

"Fire whenever you're ready honey," Naruto said with a grin, excited to see the new upgrades in action.

Holding her breath, Hana pulled the trigger and the Invictus trembled with the recoil, as the 200 meter long magnetic coils accelerated the shells to Tachyon induced hyperwarp velocity. The colossal asteroid shook violently with the impact, as four enormous craters were punched into its surface and the shells continued to bore in deeply, debris blasting out from the shattering strikes. A moment later, the small moon quaked as the four shells detonated deep within its surface. Four faint blue trail linked the Invictus to the enormous hunk of rock as it continued to shake with aftershocks.

"The rails are recharging so fast!" Hana exclaimed, watching the progress bar next to the Mass Drivers on her weapon loadout hologram for the Invictus.

"You should only have to wait 10 seconds before you can fire again, instead of 30," Tenten confirmed for her.

"They're powered up already!" Hana said in amazement.

"Let's teach this evil asteroid the error of its ways!" Naruto said in a stern voice. "Fire at will Lieutenant!" he barked in an imperious tone.

Hana laughed before pulling the trigger, sending another four shells blasting out at incredible speed. The asteroid shuddered with the next four impacts, beginning to break apart with the massive momentum of the strikes as they ploughed into its core. The shells detonated a second later and the titanic asteroid slowly split into three chunks, ripped apart by the devastation to its structure.

"One last volley on that smaller piece," Naruto requested, remembering their first fire test, and noting that the smallest chunk was about the same size.

Hana nodded obediently and as soon as the icon flashed, confirming that the magnetic rails had recharged, she pulled the trigger. The four shells blasted out, pounding into the asteroid section and sending it rocking backwards with the impact, its surface fracturing with rapidly expanding fissures. A moment later, the explosives in the shells detonated and the shockwaves blew the asteroid apart, sending thousands of rock fragments scattering through the belt.

"Triple the fire rate, massively increased penetration..." Hana said appreciatively, her eyes gleaming. "You did an outstanding job Tenten!"

The ravenette smiled at her friend, overjoyed at the results of the successful fire test. "Wait till you see the Lasers in action. Unfortunately, there's a trade-off for the guns. The increased fire rate means we'll run through our ammo three times as fast. I can make the shells smaller while keeping power, but I'll need raw elements to make the explosives."

*My people will happily provide you with raw materials if you prove victorious against the Kusa,* Gaara thought.

"If WE prove victorious. Which we will," Naruto said confidently.

The beautiful bluenette checked on the current status of the Grey ships and saw they were moving steadily into position, to follow the flight path she had set for them.

"They should be ready to start in a few minutes." Hinata confirmed for him.

"When do you think the Kusa will attack?" he asked Hana.

"Well their normal attack patterns have been disrupted, but I'd expect them to launch an attack as soon as they pick up the Suna patrol in their long range scans," she said, cautiously.

"I think they might have set up sensors farther out from their base though," she theorized. "They seem to be too well informed about sector traffic to just be relying on long range sensors on their ships."

"Based on what we estimate for their Tachyon Drive capabilities, I'd predict a strike on the patrol in roughly 20 minutes," Hana said, turning over the calculations in her mind.

"We better get into position then," Naruto said. "Hinata, can you trail the Suna patrol, so we can respond as quickly as possible without making it obvious we're tailing them."

"Yep, no problem," she said confidently, as she powered up the Tachyon Drive.

"Ok then, let's start repaying the Suna for these new toys," Naruto said with a grin.

The Invictus soared into hyperwarp again and raced through system after system as they caught up with the Suna patrol. Hinata swung the Assault Cruiser into a tailing position via a long arcing curve.

"Hail them please," Naruto ordered.

Gaara hit a button on the console and a few moments later the Suna patrol leader's face appeared on the viewscreen.

"We are following your patrol route as requested UzumakiNaruto," the Grey stated in an echoing murmur.

"Call for backup the moment you're attacked," Naruto said brusquely. "We'll be there within..." he glanced at Hinata

*15 seconds* her voice rang crystal clear in his head.

"...15 seconds, so just perform evasive maneuvers with full power to shields until we arrive," he ordered.

"We will do as you command UzumakiNaruto," the Grey leader whispered quietly and then ended the communication.

Tenten helpfully produced a countdown to Hana's predicted time. The Tactical Officer put her face in her hands but recovered from the embarrassment to re-ready herself. When the countdown hit zero, there was a pregnant pause. Then their sensors picked up a Kusa Cruiser appearing in the same system as the Suna patrol and interdicting them.

"Swoop in!" Naruto ordered.

"Swooping," Hinata chirped, altering their course to bring them into the system. Their speed had them there in ten seconds. They pulled into the system and their engines took over.

"Firing Beams!" Hana reported, lining up the firing arcs for the Lasers with the black, angular Kusa Cruiser while Sasuke was busy running an active scan.

Blue beams of light that almost seared their eyes on the hologram fired out. The shields on the Kusa ship were overwhelmed like they were just a Corvette's, the beams going through to pierce right through the Onyxium alloy the Kusa ship was cloaked in.

"Holy crap! I was conservative with my projections but this is something else!" Tenten exclaimed.

The ship turned with the use of many retrothrusters, firing a full barrage of 16 Beam Lasers at the Invictus. The Pack braced for impact only to blink as the purple spears of light dissipated harmlessly against their shields.

"I forgot to mention we upgraded the Shield Generator. We're at 80%... Make that 85%," Tenten reported as their shields regenerated at a previously unseen rate.

"Damn, we're invincible!" Fu cheered.

"Not quite, but we're certainly hardier than any ship outside the Mizu Enclave," Sasuke mused. He blinked as data from the active scan came back, faster than they'd ever come. "All their weapons are forward facing!"

"Good to know. Now where's their Power Core?" Hana asked.

Sasuke highlighted the location on the hologram, and Hana aimed unerringly with the Mass Drivers. "Firing Mass Drivers!" Hana announced before firing. The Kusa Cruiser trembled at the impact before going up in a runway fusion explosion.

They slumped in their chairs and breathed a collective sigh of relief.

"One down, two to go." Hinata said with satisfaction.

"Let's tell the Suna High Council the good news," Naruto said with a smile.

The beautiful bluenette sitting in the Executive Officer's Chair moved quickly to follow his orders and a few moments later Senior Councillor Rasa answered the secure channel communication.

"It is good to see you UzumakiNaruto" Rasa began. "Our patrol ships reported that you had engaged the Kusa. My thanks for preventing the deaths of my people. I can only assume you were victorious?" he asked, sounding hopeful even with his unemotional whispering computer voice relaying the message.

"Target destroyed," Naruto said with a big grin on his face.

"Excellent work UzumakiNaruto," Rasa said softly, sounding positively delighted.

"We have begun work on following the plans that Tenten provided," the robed Grey continued. "High Councillor Kankuro reports that they will be finished with the construction in 4 hours."

"Great news!" Tenten cut in. "Tell him to launch it immediately!" she said cryptically.

"I will do so Tenten," the Senior Councillor replied in his disconcerting whisper.

"Ok we'll report back after the next Kusa ship is destroyed," Naruto said confidently.

"We shall await your call eagerly," Rasa said before ending the transmission.

"Let's go back to orbit Suna while we wait," Naruto ordered.

Hinata faithfully guided them to the Nav Beacon and then, in a ridiculously short time using their new Tachyon Drive, were back in the Suna system, the yellow light of their star bathing the Invictus in a golden glow.

"So, what should we do for the next four hours?" Sasuke asked.

"I say we need a lengthy 'debriefing'," Fu purred.

Naruto grinned and formed a sexy plan. "Everyone in the shower. Then I want you to prep yourselves and form a line on the bed. I'll work my way through each of you before feeding Gaara lunch!"

Gaara blinked. *Such stamina puts our best pornographic actors to shame!* He exclaimed.

"That's why he's the Alpha," Hinata said huskily. "Everyone, to Deck 2!" She ordered.

The girls entered the shower first, managing to get undressed at record speed. They welcomed Naruto, Sasuke, and an overawed Gaara as he moved to join them, making space for them in between them all. Naruto closed his eyes as the water cascaded down over his body, washing away the tension of the battle, as ten hands stroked and caressed his body lovingly. Soft delicate hands ran over the muscles in his arms and chest, while one of the girls encircled his length in a firm grasp and began to stroke him firmly.

He opened his eyes again, seeing the girls and Sasuke watching him with passion building in their eyes.

"I think I'm clean now." he smiled at them affectionately, looking down to see Fu's dark green hand wrapped around his cock.

"How about we clean up Hinata next?" he suggested.

The girls agreed enthusiastically and the beautiful bluenette girl stood in the middle with a smile on her face. Soon everyone's hands were running over her wonderful tanned skinned, gliding over her firm breasts and pert bottom. One of the girls even went so far as to slowly slide a finger inside her tight little ass and stroke her gently, as Naruto stared into her eyes and rubbed her clit with his strong hands.

Each of them took a turn being the center of attention, gasping and moaning while the others teased and caressed them tenderly. Soon all four of the girls and two guys were panting with arousal and staring at Naruto with a burning need. Before he got ravished there in the shower, he suggested they move the party to the bedroom and the girls and guys exited the cubicle one by one, each leaving in a unique way. Hana glanced at him over her shoulder with smoky lustful eyes, Tenten winked at him suggestively, Sasuke affected a woman's swaying prowl, Hinata blew him a kiss and in Fu's case she just wrapped her arms around his neck, pressed her cool skin up against his body and then kissed him passionately. Gaara just walked awkwardly away. The other five eventually dragged her out and she grinned at him happily as she left.

Naruto soaked under the water a little while longer, before turning off the shower and then moving into the bathroom where he dried himself unhurriedly.

*We're ready when you are,* Hinata's voice popped into his mind, her tone equal parts mischievous and seductive.

He walked out of the bathroom and into the bedroom and stopped for a moment to appreciate the spectacular sight in front of him. All four girls and Sasuke were naked and kneeling on the edge of the bed, looking at him over their shoulders and watching for his reaction. They were lined up in the chronological order that they had joined him, with the three athletic teenagers, mature gentleman, and then Fu to their right. Gaara sat on a chair with a good view.

"You each get one minute. I promise to work down the line at least twice," Naruto said seductively.

They all grinned and arched their backs, presenting their juicy rumps for his perusal.

Naruto proved true to his word, his Alpha Uzu cock plundering one tight hole after another. Hinata welcomed him with the ease of long practice. Sasuke proved that men could practice kegels to. Hana purposefully tilted her pelvis so he'd get her ass instead of her pussy. Tenten rode out his assault with all the grit of a former ganger. Fu took him with all the talent of her race, having centuries of experience pleasuring Orochimaru and other Konoha to work with. Naruto wound up sending each one to orgasm at least once during his round robin. He ended by stroking his length to keep warmed up before feeding his length down Gaara's throat.

Naruto and the Pack enjoyed a long cuddle. Naruto glanced at the ship's chronometer on the wall. They still had a couple of hours to wait until the Greys launched whatever it was Tenten had them constructing, and his mind began to shift to tactical planning for the upcoming confrontation with the Kusa. The girls and guys sensed his shift in focus and they sat around him on the bed, waiting to follow his lead.

"So what's the plan then?" Hinata asked him curiously.

"First, I need to know what Tenten's got the Suna working on at the moment" he stated.

"They're going to automate a Freighter and modify it to tow a string of decoys," The raveonette explained. "I've given the Suna instructions on how to hack the transponders so that it'll look like a nice fat convoy of Freighters and civilian transports."

"I thought hacking transponders like that was highly illegal?" Hana asked with a raised eyebrow.

"For civilians it is," Naruto replied. "But we've been given the go ahead by the Suna High Council to react to an emergency situation. For all intents and purposes, we're above the law."

"Well you've got no objection from me," Hana said, then grinned evilly. "The Kusa won't be able to pass up a juicy target like that! Especially after the Suna starved them of targets over the last couple of days."

"So we lure them in with another tempting target," Naruto stated with a nod. "It's a good plan. Hana, can you look at the system charts and find me a selection of good ambush sites?"

"Yes, Sir," The Lieutenant purred with just the hint of a seductive tone, before standing up to go.

"I'll go with her! Cats love to set traps!" Fu said, briefly transforming into her original body before shimmering back. The two nude girls walked off for the Bridge, waving goodbye with their asses.

Naruto shook himself out of his daze to regard his other crewmates. "Now, Tenten, how much Onyxium do we have? Am I going to have to mine some more, because I'd rather not open a portal to the Astral Plane with that Entity after me."

Gaara startled. *You drew the attention of an Astral Entity? Which one?*

*The one that 'sponsors' the Uzu. Tried to mold me into a heartless conqueror, but I spat in its face. The reaction was… telling,* Naruto projected to his newest Thrall.

"To answer your question, we have just enough to replate a quarter of the Invictus. When we raid the Kusa base, we should look for any Onyxium this rival Uzu gave them for outfitting their ships. Of course, the easy answer is to just reshape the Invictium until it's all but invincible. Just needs another six shapings to become immune to Lasers and thirteen times as strong as Titanium!" Tenten revealed.

"Speaking of Invictium, I've been thinking of getting a melee weapon. It's not always smart to get close enough to snap a neck, even at Psychic Speed. Maybe a club, or a sword," Naruto mused.

"A sword! Definitely! Then you can be the barbarian king with a harem of bitches at your beck and call!" Hinata said excitedly.

"I took kendo classes as a kid. I could give you the Knowledge Transference if you go that route. I warn you that I sucked at it," Sasuke said, cuddling Gaara like a teddy bear. The Grey didn't seem to mind.

"That would be great! I'll go shape the sword myself," Naruto said before kissing Sasuke. The bluenette took the opportunity to transfer his mediocre swordsmanship skills. Naruto got up, put on underwear, and grabbed the Holo-reader for research while making for the Cargo Bay where Tenten had stored the spare Invictium.

"This I have to see," Tenten said, following after Naruto. "If I can hexa-shape, then he can probably deca-shape!"

Hinata and Sasuke traded glances. "Seems we're on lunch detail," Hinata said.

"Thankfully, we're much better trained than last time. Feel like trying a curry? Or tacos? I feel like spice today," Sasuke said.

"Let's go with tacos. We haven't used any of the tortillas from when we first stocked the Invictus last month," Hinata argued.

*I shall watch, even if I cannot partake in this meal,* Gaara projected. Everyone had left their mental shields with a Gaara-shaped hole so he could talk to them without knocking.

"Yet. Wait till Naruto give you teeth and you'll be eating meat with the rest of us," Sasuke said, putting on a pair of shorts.

Naruto and Tenten went down to the Cargo Bay. Naruto settled on a sword design he'd gotten from the cover of a popular holo-novel series. He'd used Telekinesis to lift a small chunk out of an Invictium ore container. He'd watched it turn white and then set about shaping it into statues of his favorite people. Grandma, Grandpa, Hinata, Sasuke, Hana, Tenten, Fu, Gaara, and he threw in Sakura. Finally, straining his mental muscles, he shaped the Invictium a tenth time. The bar of Invictium flattened, extending out to form a long sharp blade that was nearly five foot in length. The crossguard elongated, with the quillons turning back towards the point of the sword and shaping into dagger-like claws that flanked the base of the blade. The blade pirouetted slowly in the air before silently coming to rest on the ground.

"I knew you could do it!" Tenten cheered. "And that's one formidable weapon. 90% reflective and 11x stronger than Titanium. You could cut through steel like plastic, and that's without Psychic Strength! I'll work on a magnetic scabbard to attach it to your armor."

They took his new sword up the loading ramp to Tenten's Engineering Bay. Then they went up the anti-grav tube to the Bridge. Naruto stepped out on to the Command Deck first and saw Hana sitting in the Tactical station, with Fu hovering nearby. They were gazing up at the System Map and looking at a string of stars a fair way out from the Kappa Indarran system. The local system was highlighted in an adjacent hologram and he saw that the Invictus was currently orbiting Suna.

"Hey you two," Naruto called to them. "Have you had any luck with finding us any ambush sites?"

"Hana has found three places we could attack from," Fu said eagerly. "We're just discussing which one would be the most effective."

"Sounds like we're in luck then," he said, approaching them and leaning against the Tactical station as they examined the sector map. "What have you got for us Hana?"

"Well the first option is a wide, tightly packed asteroid belt," the brunette explained, shifting the holographic focus to the system map with a swipe of her hand. "It's been fully strip mined, so there's lots of hollowed out asteroids and abandoned mining equipment that will hopefully help mask our approach."

"That could definitely work," Naruto said. "What's the second option?"

"There's a planetary nebulae over there," Hana replied, pointing at a dark red star on the stellar map. "Which is actually a dying red dwarf star. It's throwing out lots of radiation and magnetic fields, so we could definitely launch an ambush undetected, but if the shields get knocked out we could be in trouble."

"I think we'll have enough to worry about with the Kusa, without having to avoid environmental hazards too," Naruto said cautiously. "What's our third option?"

"There's another ice planet in this system over here," Hana said, moving the sector map to focus on the system she had in mind. "It's surrounded by dense rings of ice fields. Our shields will take some damage flying through that, but energy weapons will be a lot less effective due to the refraction effect of the ice particles that fill the area."

"That could be good too," Naruto agreed. "We can rely on our Mass Drivers to inflict damage, while they're restricted purely to their beam weapons."

"Yes, that's what I was thinking," the brunette said, nodding soberly.

"Have you got any particular preference at the moment?" Naruto asked, fascinated to find out what the cunning Lieutenant might have in mind.

"I'm leaning towards the first option, the abandoned asteroid field in the Gomeisa system," Hana said thoughtfully. "I've checked and it's completely deserted, so we wouldn't have to worry about civilian casualties either."

"That's good, not having to worry about civvies. Let's go for Gomeisa," Naruto decided. "Let's hail the High Council and tell them the news…"

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	24. Chapter 24

**90's for faves and follows, yay! **

* * *

Vermogrok the Voracious sprawled in the command throne on the bridge of the Kusa Cruiser. He stretched his four muscular arms contentedly before hunching forward to stare at the sector map in front of him, watching the cluster of signals move slowly across the Gomeisa system. His underling, Lieutenant Drikog stomped up beside the throne, grinding his teeth with annoyance.

"It's been nearly a week since I last feasted!" Drikog grumbled. "When are we going to get some more action?"

Vermogrok's stomach rumbled as he remembered the mouth watering taste of the delicious Grey flesh. He and his fellow Kusa had been taking full advantage of the unending buffet of pathetically weak aliens and he congratulated himself on his cunning for joining up with Overlord Okug on this most rewarding of raids.

"Remember how we boarded that last freighter and devoured every last crew member?" Drikog grinned toothily and starting to drool at the memory. "These Greys are only small, but after we hunted them all down, there were plenty to fill our bellies!"

"Patience Drikog, we will feast again soon!" Vermogrok replied, masking his own irritation at having to wait around on Overlord Okug's orders. "I have found us a new banquet!"

"Your pod brothers must be so envious of you!" Drikog said to Vemogrok admiringly.

"They would be, if I hadn't eaten them all!" Vermogrok said, then threw his hammer shaped head back and barked a burbling laugh, his tooth filled maw snapping up and down with glee.

Turning his attention back to the signals, more details about the convoy were starting to appear, as the sensor probes they had embedded in asteroids around the sector gathered more data. It looked like some Suna Freighters and passenger liners according to their transponders.

"Behold Drikog! That convoy has passenger liners!" Vermogrok exclaimed, his bulging eyes gleaming with excitement as he began to drool.

"We will gorge ourselves until we burst!" Drikog chortled. "You have done it again mighty one!"

"Set a course for Gomeisa!" Vermogrok bellowed at his helmsman.

"Yeah Warboss!" the helmsman replied with a toothy grin.

"Overlord Okug is calling us." his first mate grunted.

"Put him through..." Vermogrok snarled with irritation.

The grizzly face of the massive Overlord filled the viewscreen.

"Vermogrok!" the huge Kusa shouted. "What are you doing?"

"We've picked up a convoy and it's well past feeding time!" Vermogrok replied, his long tongue licking his fangs in anticipation.

"We still haven't heard back from Giruk or Ookur!" the Overlord yelled. "I won't risk losing any more ships!"

Vermogrok chortled to himself quietly. "Those two were always spineless, pathetic worms! We're better off without them!" he said to Okug, gloating at their disappearance.

"There's only two ships left with the new armour!" Okug roared. "I won't risk losing any more!"

"The Greys are helpless against us!" Vermogrok countered. "There's no danger to be found in a tasty little convoy!"

Ever since the Dark One had given them the tech and the materials for their new armour, Vermogrok's ship was invincible!

"No! Until we find out what happened to Giruk and Ookur, I want you around in case I need support!" Okug bellowed.

"Maybe Overlord Okug is getting old and tired?" Vermogrok wondered inwardly. He had personally seen the massive Warleader tear apart and devour 5 of his supposed 16 challengers and it hadn't been pretty, but getting too cautious like this usually meant ending up in the maw of a bold challenger. "A bold young Kusa like me!" Vermogrok thought, before he looked up at the viewscreen to watch Overlord Okug brooding malevolently.

"My minions are getting hungry!" Vermogrok snarled brazenly. "This is the first fat target we've seen in days! By custom you can't deny us this prey!" he added slyly.

Okug stared at him for a moment, his face twisted up into a hideous grimace.

"Take Zarog with you!" the Overlord bellowed, then cut off the comm channel abruptly.

Vermogrok threw his head back and howled in rage.

"Zarog!" he snarled, chewing the word over in his mouth. The thought of having to share all those tasty Greys with his hated rival was absolutely galling. "I didn't spend 5 years in the fighting pits to share my prey with the likes of that maggot!" Vermogrok growled to Drikog in irritation.

"Mistakes can always happen on a hunt. Who knows what tragic accident might befall Zarog?" Drikog rasped quietly, his bulging black eyes lighting up with malicious glee.

"Ah, Drikog! I love how your twisted little mind works!" Vermogrok guffawed with delight. "It's no wonder I haven't eaten you yet!"

Drikog chuckled to himself, relishing his own deviousness.

"Get us to Gomeisa!" Vermogrok roared at his helmsman. "And we better get there before Zarog, or I'll start my feast with you!"

The Kusa bridge crew surged into motion, their four arms moving over the controls and turning the huge cruiser on an intercept course. The FTL drive powered up and the Cruiser lurched drunkenly into hyperwarp. They were only a few parsecs away from Gomeisa, so Vermogrok only had to bellow and swear for about ten minutes before they finally entered the system and exited hyperwarp.

Vermogrok stared at the tactical map, his bulging black eyes looking hungrily for the hapless Suna ships he intended to plunder. His eyes tilted up, as his hammer shaped head furrowed in confusion. Instead of seeing five cowering freighters and two passenger liners, there was just one disc shaped ship, moving in an unusual pattern. It was circling a wide asteroid belt and appeared to be towing some kind of very long metal frame with what looked like metal spheres attached to it.

"What the hell is going on here?" Vermogrok growled, scanning the tactical overlay.

"Just one pathetic freighter... There probably isn't enough crew to count as a starter!" Drikog snarled in disappointment.

"Want me to disable it anyway boss?" the helmsman asked.

Vermogrok shrieked the order to attack and the cruiser surged forward. He watched the overlay angrily, expecting the Suna freighter to flee, just like all the others had tried to, but this one just kept plodding along slowly. His eyes narrowed in suspicion, warning bells ringing in his head at the bizarre behaviour of the Grey vessel.

It was almost as if the freighter was completely oblivious to their presence, even when the Kusa opened up with their beam batteries, wiping out the Grey's shield in a single crackling burst. Several of the beams followed through and sheared off one of the Freighter's engines, but the helpless ship kept limping along regardless.

Suddenly warning lights began to flash around the bridge, casting a sinister red glow over the command deck.

"I knew it," Vermogrok rumbled under his breath.

"We're being attacked Warboss!" the first mate cried out in warning.

Vermogrok slugged the panicking bridge crewman in the face with a powerful haymaker, sending the Kusa sprawling. "Keep it together you simpering coward!" he roared, before turning back towards the tactical map.

Now that the enemy ship had been revealed by their cowardly sneak attack, Vermogrok stared at it in confusion, as it was displayed on the tactical map.

"That's not a Grey ship!" Drikog said, stating the obvious.

"Of course it isn't," Vermogrok scoffed. The Greys built their ships to look like a dinner plate, ready to serve up its tasty crew.

"It looks like a Konoha Cruiser, but it's all… sparkly," the navigator observed.

The mysterious white ship fired again, six bright blue beams lancing out to scythe across his shields, followed by a hail of laser cannon blasts.

"Fire back!" he shouted, his lime green skin darkening with anger. No one shot his ship up like that.

The sixteen beam lasers on the front of his ship opened fire, the lights inside the Bridge dimming as the weapons drew massive amounts of energy from the power core. The Konoha Cruiser rolled on its side, effortlessly diving out of the fire arc of just over half the lancing bright purple beams.

Vermogrok gnashed his teeth in frustration and stared balefully at the Drakkar sitting at tactical. The imbecile just shrugged idiotically, making Vermogrok seethe with anger.

"Miss like that again and I'll beat you to death with my bare hands!" Vermogrok roared at the head-scratching crewman.

Suddenly Zarog's ship appeared on the tactical map as it dropped out of hyperwarp, turning towards the duelling cruisers. The Konoha vessel swung sharply about and began racing away towards the asteroid belt, it's four engines glowing with power as it surged away from the fight.

"Gahhhh!" Vermogrok snarled, apoplectic with rage as the enemy cruiser fled. By the time his beam lasers had cooled down enough to be able to fire again, they were just out of range. "That thrice damned Zarog!" Vermogrok shrieked. "They're getting away!"

"What should we do?" The helmsman asked in confusion.

Vermogrok stormed up to the quivering Drakkar helmsman and backhanded him across the face. "Get in there after them you fool! Must I give the most simple of orders?!" he screamed.

The Kusa Warboss stomped back to his throne and glowered at the tactical map as his ship followed after Zarog's cruiser into the asteroid belt.

Zarog's gunner seemed to be even more inept than his though, with beam after beam sailing harmlessly wide, as the Konoha cruiser rolled and turned nimbly around the enormous floating asteroids. The sinister white ship seemed to suffer none of the same targeting difficulties however, as Zarog's shields were being pummelled by an unrelenting hail of laser fire from the rear and side mounted laser cannons.

Vermogrok was just out of range, the enemy ship so tantalisingly close but still just that little bit too far. Every time he thought he might be able to catch up, his crew were forced to perform evasive manoeuvers to avoid hitting the massive hunks of rock, that floated aimlessly in their snaking path through the asteroid field.

After a teeth gnashingly long pursuit that was proving as fruitless as it was frustrating, the two pursuing Kusa ships split up to go around a large asteroid that was pockmarked with mining shafts. The Konoha cruiser circled around a big asteroid up ahead and then instead of continuing to flee, it turned back to face them. Vermogrok trembled with excitement, sensing the chase was at an end and he slammed one of his fists down on the armrest of his throne.

"Fire!" he bellowed, as the snow white cruiser closed to firing range.

Zarog's cruiser fired as well and dozens of virulent purple beams blasted out from the Kusa ships, many of them striking the black hulled enemy vessel and overloading their shields. Vermogrok leaned forward excitedly, eagerly awaiting the sight of the irritating black ship being scythed in half. The beams caressed the enemy hull, but they seemed to only mildly score the snow white hull. He stared open mawed in shock as the practically unscathed Terran ship fired back, but not at Vermogrok's ship and not at Zarog either.

Four shells roared out from the black cruiser and Vermogrok snorted with laughter as they missed both the Kusa ships and slammed into the nearby asteroid, which trembled with the massive impact. A second later, there was a muffled explosion from within the hollowed out chunk of rock and then everything turned upside down, as the shockwave from a colossal secondary explosion rocked his cruiser. The metal superstructure shrieked torturously, as panels blew open and conduits exploded with a shower of sparks.

Vermogrok was thrown clear across the bridge, slamming into a far bulkhead. Smoke poured out of overloaded consoles and alarms blared out through the command deck, as his crew rolled around in a daze, trying to get up.

"What the fuck was that?!" The Kusa Warboss gasped in shock.

He lurched upright and hauled himself over to his throne, staring at the damage control display in horror. His glorious cruiser had been battered, the port side of the ship horribly torn and mangled by the devastating explosion. His ship was listing on its side and drifting out of control towards another huge asteroid.

"Turn damn you, turn!" he screamed, turning towards the helmsman's station, but he saw the seat was empty.

He charged frantically for the helmsman's station, desperate to avoid looming disaster and grabbed the flight stick with a grasping hand. He yanked back on the controls, pulling the stricken cruiser up and narrowly clearing the enormous rocky obstacle that had threatened them with imminent death. Vermogrok turned frantically around, his bulging eyes searching for the missing helmsman. Finally he spotted him, hanging upside down and impaled on an exposed girder that had been torn out of the wall by the explosion. Swearing animatedly, Vermogrok turned the Kusa Cruiser back towards the fight, scanning the flickering tactical map to see what was happening.

The mysterious white Cruiser was bearing down inexorably on Zarog's vessel. His rival's ship seemed to have survived relatively unscathed by the exploding asteroid, merely having been knocked sideways by the blast. Vermogrok's eyes filled with hate as he stared at the two ships. "Zarog always was a lucky bastard." he snarled resentfully.

Suddenly the white cruiser fired again, as Zarog began to turn his ship around to face them. Four shells blasted out of the huge cannons on the Terran ship and pounded into the flank of the turning Kusa cruiser, sending splintering fractures through the armor plating as the shots drove in deep. A second later, rippling explosions rocked Zarog's ship and it quaked as if in terror. A flickering corona of electricity arced out around the cruiser as the power core went critical and then a few moments later a tremendous blast tore the ship in half.

"Maybe he wasn't that lucky after all." Vermogrok cackled as his hated rival was vaporised in an instant.

The Kusa Warboss' glee was cut short as the lethal enemy cruiser swung smoothly about to face them.

"Fire! Kill them now!" Vermogrok roared in fury.

The Kusa gunner pulled the trigger, but the Konoha ship had already changed course and most of the shots missed, purple pulsating beams of energy firing wildly off into space. A couple of the beams hit, but they just scratched the glistening white surface of the enemy armor and didn't penetrate into the hull.

"You fool!" Vermogrok bellowed at his gunner. "You've doomed us all!"

The white ship bore down on them like death itself and fired back with its beam lasers, rocking his ship with the impact, as the shots punched their way into his cruiser.

"They destroyed our fire control systems and took out our drive couplings!" Drikog gasped, staring in disbelief at the damage control display which was a riot of crimson. "We're adrift and toothless!"

"Order the transports to prepare for boarding!" Vermogrok snarled at his lieutenant.

The enemy cruiser pulled up to a halt next to them and began pumping an endless volley of laser blasts into the shattered side of his ship.

"No!" Vermogrok gasped, tasting fear for the first time. "No!"

He turned and sprinted full tilt for the exit, the deck wobbling unsteadily under his feet, as his supposedly invulnerable ship failed him spectacularly. Vermogrok approached a bewildered crewman, his lower body lying crushed by a collapsed section of steel wall panelling. The crewman reached out to paw at him for assistance and the Warboss ran straight over him, as he raced towards the ramps that led to the hangar bay. This enemy ship might have crippled his cruiser, but no one could defeat the Kusa in a boarding action. Vermogrok would just seize their ship as his own!

He lurched into the hangar bay and sprinted for his personal dropship, seeing the crews for two other ships milling around by their craft, waiting for orders that had not yet arrived.

"Get moving you fools!" he roared at them and the Kusa pilots lumbered into the waiting dropships to prepare for launch.

Vermogrok charged up the loading ramp for his dropship, seeing his fearsome handpicked retinue waiting on board. "Launch!" he bellowed at the pilot, as he closed the ramp behind him.

The three Kusa dropships rose ponderously off the floor of the hangar and headed towards the shielded entrance in the centre of the bay. His cruiser was being ripped apart by the pitiless white cruiser. Sirens howled continuous warnings as explosions kept tearing through his once mighty vessel, causing debris to fall from the walls and ceiling of the hangar bay. Finally the dropships plunged out of the hole in the hull of the cruiser, eager to escape their certain doom should they have stayed inside.

The white cruiser was waiting for them remorselessly as the dropships raced out into the void of space. Bright blue beams enveloped the first two Kusa ships, searing through their shields in an instant and melting glowing holes as they bored straight through, spitting the dropships like a kebab. The beams winked out as fast as they had suddenly appeared, leaving the Kusa raiders and their dropships a charred ruin.

Vermogrok clung desperately to the cockpit doorframe as his terrified pilot brought the ship around in a turn that made his stomach sink to the floor. They were still being peppered by uncannily accurate point defence weapons, but at least they were out of the fire arcs of their dreaded mass drivers. The pilot performed a skilful docking manoeuvre and the dropship nestled alongside the glistening hull of the enemy cruiser. His fanged mouth was opening and snapping shut with relief as he fired off the docking clamps.

"Right, time to get us a new ship!" Vermogrok roared, stirring the Kusa raiders who shouted and bellowed their own warcries.

There was a heavy clang as their ship made contact with the outer airlock and the two ships were secured in place. Vermogrok grinned evilly, surging with confidence once again. He moved over to his personal armoury and picked up the custom shieldblades that had seen him to 37 bloody victories in the fighting pits. His men began to move into position, opening the airlock on their ship and then getting ready to tear open the airlocks on the enemy ship.

They were surprised to see that both the enemy airlocks had been opened as well, but their passage was still blocked by a sturdy looking reinforced door that completely sealed the corridor ahead of them.

"Bust that down!" Vermogrok yelled eagerly, beginning to drool at the thought of what tasty morsels might wait inside for him.

The Kusa raiders moved up, waiting in position as one of them brought forward a siege hammer to buckle the door enough to either smash it out of the way, or get a jack under it. The burly four armed Kusa lifted the huge hammer over his head, in a four handed grip and brought it down in a booming crash against the reinforced door. The echo of the impact rang around the corridor, bringing big toothy grins to the raiders waiting around Vermogrok. The hammer wielder raised the hammer back for another overhead smash when suddenly the security door slid smoothly up into the ceiling.

"Uh?" The hammer wielder grunted in surprise, before his shocked face exploded, showering the nearby Kusa in thick blue blood.

Then everything descended into a terrifying nightmare.

The corridor lit up as two turreted lasers began hosing down the invaders with an unending stream of viciously accurate laser fire. The Kusa desperately pulled their reflective shields into place to protect their bodies, only to have their feet shot out from under them by high powered rounds. The airlock entrance began to stink of roasted flesh as the toppling raiders were peppered by searing energy bolts.

Vermogrok dived to the side, covering himself with both his shields. He heard the reassuring whumping sound as the magnetic fields deflected enemy shots away from him and the reflective surface of the mirrored shieldblades were doing a good job of keeping him safe from the turreted lasers too. He peeked through a small gap around his shields and saw there were only two defenders, clad entirely in shiny white armor, who hid cravenly behind a bulkhead and shot unopposed at his men.

"Fire back or we're done for!" he screamed in rage at the Kusa around him.

The Kusa raiders further back from the slaughterhouse where the reinforced door had been, began to shoot back, bullets from rotary cannons zipping down the corridor to pepper the bulkheads. Vermogrok looked on hopefully, but then shook his head in disbelief as the bullets were harmlessly deflected away from the black armoured enemies, to the same whumping sounds he had previously been so relieved to hear.

"We need heavy weapons you idiots!" he roared, as his own shields came under fire once again.

Vermogrok ducked back and hugged the wall as one of his men brought a heavy laser to bear, aiming down the corridor. The laser bolt from the heavy weapon blasted out, leaving a white flash across his vision as his bulging black eyes began to rapidly blink to regain his sight. He looked back at the barricade hopefully and saw that one of the laser turrets had been hit by the blast and now hung forlornly, the barrel partially melted. The Heavy laser operator roared out a victorious shout, before a shot from the smaller of the two armoured enemies hit the Drakkar in the mouth, blowing his head apart with a sickening wet squelch.

"Charge!" he boomed at his remaining men and the handful of surviving Drakkar leapt over their fallen podmates and raced down the corridor.

Using his men as a distraction, Vermogrok sprinted after them, as raider after raider were shot to pieces by a combination of high powered rounds and laser fire from the remaining turret. One of his men managed to leap up onto the barricade and lifted his shield up to batter the white armored defender in the head. The enemy soldier dived backwards, simultaneously opening fire on full auto, blowing huge fist sized holes through the raiders torso and cutting the Drakkar raider in half. The barricade was showered in blue ichor as the eviscerated Drakkar fell to the ground in two pieces.

Fortunately that distraction was the opportunity that Vermogrok needed. He dived over the barricade and crashed into the second armoured figure, who was looking back to check on his prone comrade, before he was knocked to the floor. The two of them sprawled up the corridor, but the Kusa Warboss was quicker to react, his fighting instincts honed to perfection after years spent duelling in the blood pits. As they both regained their feet, Vermogrok moved faster, unleashing a backhanded slap with his left shieldblade at the man's rifle, aiming to knock it out of his hand.

His left arms swung round and the shield smacked squarely into the rifle. He winced as it felt like he had just punched a wall, but he managed to knock the rifle out of the man's grasp. Expecting the armoured figure to try and flee in terror, the Kusa Warboss was astonished when the unarmed man charged forward instead, and barrelled into his chest with a shoulder slam. Vermogrok went sailing backwards to crash into the barricade he had just leapt over, slumping down to his knees as he reeled from the impact.

Shaking his head to clear the daze, Vermogrok dismissed the knockback as a lucky hit, assuming his opponent had just caught him off balance. He brought his shield blades around protectively as he stood once again. The armored man strode towards him, stopping only briefly to pick up a long white sword that was leaning against the wall. The Kusa watched his opponent cautiously, but was relieved to see no kind of martial technique to the man's stance, even holding the glimmering white blade as an amateur would. He grinned evilly, thinking how easy this fight would be. A quick parry and counterattack would end this in a single killer blow, he thought to himself. This novice would never see it coming!

The man grabbed his long sword in a two handed grip and raised his arms, telegraphing his upcoming attack to the Drakkar, who grinned slyly in anticipation of the quick kill. The two handed blow came sailing downwards, just as Vermogrok knew it would. He stepped forward to block the attack with his left shieldblade, whilst drawing back his right arms and prepared himself to drive his right shieldblade into the man's unguarded torso with a powerful counterpunch.

The plan was good, but he was never able to make that counter attack. The white blade came crashing down on his parrying shield with a force Vermogrok didn't think was possible. He was driven down to one knee with the colossal impact, his left arms practically wrenched out of their socket as they tried to absorb the blow. No longer being in a position to attack, Vermogrok had to bring his right arms up to protect his head as the black blade came arcing down in another identical chop. He howled in pain as the wild smash cleaved a huge chunk out of his right shieldblade, leaving his arms ringing with the impact.

Vermogrok's bulging black eyes looked up in fear, as the armoured man drew the sword back for another overhead swing, seemingly intent on battering him into the floor. "This isn't right!" he jibbered to himself. There was no finesse, no style to the man's attacks, but his sheer brute power was quite unstoppable.

The Kusa tried to scramble backwards as the blade came sailing down, hacking into the right shieldblade again and splitting it in half. The razor sharp edge then continued through to neatly sever his right hands, leaving Vermogrok to stare at the stumps in shock, as dark blue blood fountained outwards, spraying the nearby wall. Cowering behind the left shieldblade, the Kusa tried to ward away the incoming attacks, but the swordsman was merciless. He hammered away at the huddled Kusa, eventually smashing the shield to pieces and dismembering his left arms. The last thing Vermogrok saw with his terror stricken eyes was the white blade whistling down at his head, as the man performed one final crude overhead chop.

* * *

"Hey, nice work!" Hinata called, removing the helmet on her Thrall Armor to let loose her long blue hair,

"Not really," Naruto said, withdrawing his blade from the Kusa Warboss' head with a heave. "I wielded this thing like a baseball bat. Sasuke wasn't kidding when he said he sucked at kendo. I need a dedicated teacher."

"We're rich as balls, I'm sure you'll be able to find a tutor and shell out for the simulation equipment. Or maybe you could recruit someone and bring them onto the crew! Sky's the limit for us," Hinata reasoned.

"That backwards dive was awesome, too. And we got a good field test of Railgun Light. Seemed strong enough to overcome their magnetic shields for the most part," Naruto said.

*Of course, they're hexa-shaped Invictium with Uzu 0.5 Power Cores. Their weakest setting is stronger than most cannons,* Tenten projected. *Now get up to the Briefing Room so we can go over the battle.*

Naruto and Hinata took the anti-grav tube up to the Command Deck, where they were greeted by kisses and hugs from every member of the Pack, including Gaara. Naruto turned to Tenten after showing some affection for the small Grey and gave her a second hug.

"The new defences worked perfectly!" he said eagerly to Tenten, who looked up at him with sparkling eyes, revelling in his excitement. "Those automated laser turrets are incredibly accurate!"

"That was actually Fu doing the shooting," Tenten admitted as she snuggled into his arms. "She didn't want to be left out."

"Really?" Naruto said, astonished, with a quick glance towards Hinata. "It looks like I'm hugging the wrong girl!" he continued playfully.

Tenten laughed and made way for Fu who eagerly moved to take her place. "When did you become such a crack shot?" Naruto grinned at the Nymph who hugged him tightly.

"I've been practicing a lot with the Gatling lasers on the Raptor. I hope that's ok?" the green skinned girl said, looking up at him for approval.

Naruto dipped her backwards, holding her in his arms and kissed her passionately. "You were wonderful!" he said happily when he came up for air. "Thanks for saving our bacon!"

Fu sighed ecstatically and looked up at him with big doe eyes. Naruto stood up straight again, holding the Nymph in his arms and smiling at her affectionately.

"Not that I mind being kissed like that..." Fu said, her face alight with a beaming smile. "But I think someone else deserves most of the credit for that battle," her eyes darted to the Inuzuka who was standing nearby.

Naruto turned to Hana and opened his arms for her again. Smiling shyly the brunette snuggled into his chest as Fu made way for her.

"I don't know what I'd do without you Lieutenant," Naruto said sincerely to the gorgeous girl he held in his arms. "I thought we were in big trouble when that second Kusa cruiser turned up, but your plan to load that asteroid with explosives was pure genius!" he said, stroking her hair as she leaned into him.

"I'm just glad to be able to do my part," Hana said, looking up at him with her big brown eyes.

"Well thanks to you, the Kusa have no Cruisers left!" John said, his mouth turned up in a feral grin. "Just their base to go and we're done!" he exclaimed excitedly.

"So what shall we do now?" Sasuke asked him curiously. "Plan the attack on the base, call the Suna High Council to tell them the good news, or go to bed for some victory sex?" his eyes sparkling wickedly.

"Yes to all three and regretfully in that order," Naruto said with chagrin. "Come on, let's go use the Briefing Room for its intended purpose for once, rather than a walk-in armory!"

Naruto and Hinata stepped into the equipping frames and within ten seconds were back in their regular clothes. Everyone sat at their traditional spaces at the table, Gaara hesitantly sitting next to Tenten and across from Fu.

"Well first things first, let's sort out our plans for the attack on the Kappa Indarran system," Naruto said, restoring some semblance of order to the meeting. "I think the main thing we need at the moment is more intel," he said thoughtfully. "We don't have any idea what we could be facing at the moment and I don't want to just charge into any surprises like we did with the Nuke!" he smiled ruefully.

"I was going to suggest the exact same thing," Hana stated soberly. "I think we need to carry out a scouting mission there and then make our plans accordingly. We just don't know enough yet to be able to make any sensible attack strategy."

"Now we've killed off their raiding ships, do you think they might get twitchy and desert their base?" Tenten asked curiously. "If I'd just lost four ships in the space of a few days, I wouldn't want to hang around!"

"They wouldn't dare abandon their mission without permission from their Uzu, and if he's anything like my Guide then he'll just abandon them for us to finish off," Naruto explained. "If a tool is no longer useful, drop it."

"Unlike you, who repairs it until it's better than when it started," Hinata said affectionately, her eyes filled with love for her man.

"Be that as it may, we took some damage in that last battle. Tenten, how are we? Do we need to replate on Suna?" Naruto asked.

"All cosmetic," Tenten waved off. "13 Beams, pah! They barely scratched the paint. The capacitors handled whatever wasn't reflected."

"Well, that's good to hear. Still, we'll be sure to check the Kusa base for more Onyxium. Now someone put me through to Senior Councillor Rasa," Naruto commanded.

Gaara activated the console at his place and soon the hologram was up. Rasa appeared, apparently mid-conversation with two other Councillors.

"Ah, UzumakiNaruto," he murmured softly. "We were just talking about you."

"All good things I hope," Naruto said with a smile.

"Oh certainly. We have been delighted with your progress so far," Rasa whispered, his voice computer sounding unusually eerie over the transmission.

"Did the explosives we embedded in those two asteroids for you prove useful?" another High Councillor asked quietly in the background.

"Spectacularly so, Councillor...?" Naruto replied.

"My name is Councillor Temari," the new Suna councillor answered the question in her hushed voice.

"Well thanks to your explosives Councillor Temari, I'm pleased to report we've just taken out what we hope were the last two Kusa raiders," Naruto said with no small degree of satisfaction.

The robed Greys looked at each other with their huge unblinking eyes, communicating using telepathy and seemingly forgetting about the crew of the Invictus on the other end of the call. Naruto quirked an eyebrow and looked at the girls and guys, who smiled back at him in amusement. He let the Suna continue their silent discussion for a long moment before he cleared his throat.

"My apologies UzumakiNaruto," Rasa replied in his strange whispery voice. "To have destroyed two of the Kusa Cruisers single handed is most impressive indeed. We are most grateful that you agreed to this alliance."

"You're welcome Rasa!" Naruto said magnanimously. "Our victory was only possible due to the efforts your people put into the refit of my ship."

Rasa bowed in answer to the praise.

"We'll take an hour or two to recuperate from the battle and then we'll go investigate the Kappa Indarran system," Naruto stated. "This whole thing could be over by dinner."

"We will eagerly await your report, UzumakiNaruto," Rasa said before cancelling the call.

"Now to the fun part," Hana said naughtily.

Naruto stood up imperiously. "I feel like twins today. Fu, assume your favorite form," Naruto ordered.

Fu gasped in delight. There was a shimmer and a copy of Hinata wearing Fu's clothes appeared in the Briefing Room.

Tenten blinked. "Wow. She really is what you consider female perfection. They're perfectly identical!"

Naruto nodded. "While I act out my fantasy of impregnating hot twins, I want the rest of you to show Gaara a good time. He can suck my load out of their cunts afterwards, but I want Tenten and Hana to perform for him while Sasuke sucks him off."

Gaara was gaping *I… I don't know what to say,* he finally managed.

"Then make no sound," Sasuke said with a grin. "My first alien cock. I'm curious how Suna taste compared to Uzu."

"I get to dyke out with Ms. Never-Miss? Count me in!" Tenten called out.

Hana stood up and stalked over to the door. "We better get this party started. Depending how things go at the Kusa base, this may be our last hurrah," she said with solemnity.

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Unless the Uzu is there, we're good. And if he is… well, it'll be quick at least. Now everyone, to my quarters!"

They all had a great time, Naruto plunging between two Hinatas with each thrust while Gaara was introduced to new realms of pleasure as he got to watch two bodacious babes mash boobs and pussies while a man slobbered on his average 4-inch Suna erection. Then Gaara got the privilege of sucking his Alpha's seed from Hinata and Fu. They all ended up cuddling around the Grey, his stomach bulging with his late lunch.

* * *

**Please fave, follow, or review**


	25. Chapter 25

**Sorry this came a little late, some things came up and I missed the usual time. Enjoy!**

* * *

Naruto sat up in the bed. "Okay, break's over. Everyone get dressed and head for the Bridge. We have a Kusa base to wipe off the map."

Everyone followed his order and soon they were arranged in their seats on the Bridge. Hinata took them out of the Suna system and plotted a course for Kappa Indarran. Between her warp tunneling and the new Tachyon Drive, they made it in 15 minutes.

The Invictus slipped out of hyperwarp effortlessly, the tachyon wave that had carried them forward dissipating in an instant, but leaving the ship briefly shrouded in a nimbus of slowly fading blue light.

"Tactical Map and System Map if you please, Hana," Naruto said, leaning forward eagerly.

He was seated in the Commander's Chair up on the podium that dominated the Bridge. From here he had an excellent view of everything and everyone that was up on the Command Deck, as well as being able to gain the full benefit of the holo images displayed before him.

The system map showed the Kappa-Indarran system, centred on its white class F star. There were three gas giant planets in this system and two asteroid belts, both of which had been strip mined by the Suna centuries ago. The Helium-3 rich gas giant they were interested in occupied the second orbital path around the star and was currently on the other side of the system map to them. Hinata had brought the Invictus out of hyperwarp on the outskirts of the system, and was following Hana's plan to ghost around the asteroid belts, until they got close enough to pick up the Drakkar base with passive scans.

"Are we still running at minimal power Tenten?" he asked the ravenette, who was watching the holographic maps intently.

"Yep, everything's fine," she replied after throwing a quick glance at the energy distribution hologram.

Letting out a breath he didn't realise he'd been holding, Naruto turned towards Hinata, who was seated to his right on the command podium. "Take us in whenever you're ready."

The bluenette girl nodded eagerly and gently powered up the engines, but only enough to allow them to make steady progress, whilst keeping their energy profile nice and low. The Assault Cruiser stalked forward, heading determinedly towards the first swathe of asteroids that orbited the star on the sixth orbital path.

"Now, let's just hope they haven't left minefields in the asteroid fields or rigged them with proximity sensors," Hana said, grinning up at Naruto with her fingers crossed for luck.

"Wouldn't it have been a good idea to raise that before?" Fu asked her curiously, noting the worried expression that suddenly appeared on Naruto's face.

"Perhaps, but if I were a betting woman, I'd be willing to lay good money that the Kusa haven't done either," Hana said confidently.

*Why did you mention them then?* Gaara asked her, puzzled.

"It's what I'd do," the Lieutenant said with a shrug.

Fortunately, the first asteroid belt had neither, and Hinata was able to guide them through the sparsely populated asteroid belt with the bare minimum of retrothruster usage. She changed course towards the next asteroid belt that lay on the third orbital path, fired the main engines for a couple of seconds, and then powered them off completely. The energy profile of the Invictus dropped like a stone as the engines were effectively shut down, and they coasted in closer to the second asteroid field, silent and deadly like some vengeful apparition.

"Very nice..." Naruto whistled appreciatively as the momentum from the initial engine burn carried them in closer, the ship absolutely undetectable except by the most powerful of sensors.

"Better safe than sorry," Hinata said, smiling back at him.

She began to feather the retrothrusters as the slowly moving asteroids began to loom closer, not using them for more than a second at a time, in tightly controlled little bursts. The Invictus turned slowly and pointed directly into the heart of the asteroid belt, gradually losing speed as Hinata braked by using the front mounted thrusters. She had set the course perfectly, so they were able to slowly coast in on a straight line, eliminating the need to use side mounted thrusters for asteroid evasion purposes.

Abruptly, the Tactical Map began to light up as the passive sensors came in range to detect a number of vessels in orbit around the nearby gas giant. They stared at the Tactical Map with bated breath, hardly daring to move, as they waited to see what lurked in the Kappa Indarran system.

"Hey, you were right!" Fu congratulated Hana and Sasuke happily. "They're definitely using the Kappa Indarran system as a base!"

"Look! They've set up a helium refinery and some kind of temporary dry dock!" Tenten exclaimed, intrigued by the design of the structures.

"Is that what I think it is?" Hana asked Naruto, pensively. "It looks like they're accompanied by two more Cruisers as well!" she said in dismay.

"Yeah, that's a Kusa Battleship alright," Naruto growled as he stared at the huge vessel, confirming Hana's worst fears.

"That Battleship is huge!" Hinata said, casting him a worried glance. "It's got to be nearly fifteen hundred meters long!"

"Yeah, I know..." Naruto said remorsefully. "There's no way we can take that in a stand up fight."

"I wouldn't be too sure of that. Our Laser Cannons are good as turreted Beams and our Beams are good as a divine smite. We could take them," Tenten said aggressively.

"Tenten, are the sensors broken?" Fu asked suddenly.

The ravenette shot a worried look at her console and rapidly ran a diagnostic routine. "No, everything checks out fine. Why do you ask?" she asked with concern.

"Then, what is that odd glitching that was over there..." the Nymph said, pointing to an area of the Tactical Map behind the current location of the Kusa Battleship.

"What do you mea-" Tenten said, before cutting off abruptly. "What the fuck is that?" she swore looking at the Tactical Map in shock.

They all peered intently at the Tactical Map, trying to make out the flickering image. It was faint and only appeared for one second out of every ten, but now that Fu had spotted it with her sharp eyes and pointed it out, they were now very aware of the ghostly ship that appeared to be haunting the Kappa Indarran system. The ship was vast and jet black, only really noticeable against the darkness of space because of the absence of stars in that blackness, rather than being able to actually make out its profile. A deathly quiet descended on the bridge as they stared at it with wide eyes.

Naruto was having a heart attack, it felt like. "Fuckity fuck fuck FUCK! The Uzu is here!"

Gaara was trembling. *So that's what a real one looks like. The Legacy does not compare,* he whispered mentally.

"What are the odds he didn't notice us arriving?" Sasuke begged.

"Less than none. His sensors could have picked us up from Suna," Tenten said dejectedly.

Hinata gulped. "If he wanted us dead, he'd already have killed us. Should we try hailing him?"

Before anyone could react to that idea,

they watched transfixed as a spiralling circle of energy appeared in front of the massive ship, casting a ghastly pale shroud over the sinister black hull and briefly illuminating its sleek and angular lines. The light moved down the length of the ship, rotating slowly around the hull as it went, and appeared to be erasing the terrifying craft from existence. A few long seconds later, the pallid nimbus of light winked out, and then the otherworldly ship was gone.

Everyone let out a collective sigh of relief. "I think the fisherman just let the minnow go," Hana breathed out.

"Agreed. At least we know the Wormhole Generator works," Naruto offered optimistically.

"Well, after that scare, that Kusa Battleship seems like nothing!" Tenten exclaimed.

Hana zoomed in the Tactical Map to show the Kusa Battleship and Cruisers in detail. The Battleship was absolutely enormous and at double the size of the Kusa Cruisers, it was triple the size of the Invictus. The front of the Battleship sported row after row of Beam Lasers and then on the flanks, the massive fifty meter long barrels of heavy bore cannons jutted out from the hull. Atop the spine of the ship was rack after rack of missile ports, that would be capable of launching an overwhelming barrage of high explosives.

One of the Cruisers looked to be the same size and configuration as the ones they had previously faced, but instead of the purple ship being covered in black armour plating, the way the last ones had been equipped, this vessel was encased in dark grey plates. The Cruiser in the drydock looked to be in the process of being upgraded to black armor, but only the front half seemed to have been upgraded so far.

Naruto narrowed his eyes as he studied the ships currently stationary in orbit around the gas giant. "If they're using the drydock to replate their ships, maybe we can do something about your Onyxium shortage Tenten..." he said, grinning wickedly.

"Are you suggesting we steal from the Kusa? Naruto, I'm appalled!" Hinata said, her eyes gleaming as she held her hand over her open mouth as if shocked.

"Requisition," Sasuke defended.

"Oh wow! That's a great idea!" Hana said eagerly. "That Uzu ship had to have been here for a reason. Maybe they've just dropped off a new batch?"

"What do you think Fu? Would you be able to sneak us in there to pull off a heist?" Hinata asked the Nymph eagerly.

"Oh, yes! Please let me try, Naruto!" Fu started bouncing up and down, barely able to contain her excitement.

"Are you sure you can get us in there undetected?" he asked, his voice turning serious.

"They'll have no idea we're there, I promise!" she grinned, her orange eyes sparkling in the light.

"Alright then, but we're still going to have to do something about the Battleship though," he said, studying the zoomed in view of the Kusa command ship, deep in thought. "If we're going in with the Raptor anyway, maybe we could do a spacewalk and plant explosives on critical places on the hull. You said you could create as much explosives as we need, right Tenten?"

"True, but that's going to take me quite some time to fabricate and we'd need to do a supply run to stock up on the various chemicals I'd need," she said doubtfully.

"It's not like you to be negative," Hinata said perceptively, narrowing her eyes. "What have you got in mind?"

"I might have a much quicker way of achieving the same results," the feisty ravenette replied, grinning malevolently. "We go in their and remove the power regulators for their Power Core. The instant they turn the ship on, they'll blow!"

Naruto was uneasy with that? "You sure? You haven't practiced in the Firing Range or Gym much. You sure you're up for going into combat?"

"I had to test fire all my old gear, I'm already a good shot. I'll be in Thrall Armor, I'll be a walking tank. And if all else fails, psychic powers can save the day. I'm ready," Tenten said resolutely.

Minutes later, they were standing at the back of the roomy cockpit of the Raptor gunship, as Fu skilfully brought them gliding in towards the Kusa shipyard, drifting along on minimal power. Hinata was sitting to the Nymph's side in the co-pilot's chair guiding her protégé on how best to approach, whilst minimising the chance of detection.

"It feels weird wearing body armor!" Tenten said excitedly, as she twisted and turned experimentally in the Thrall Armor suit, her helmet tucked under her arm.

"You're absolutely sure you have to come with us? You couldn't use Knowledge Transference to let one of us do it?" Naruto worried.

Tenten got a stern expression on her face. "I'm just as much a member of this Pack as Hinata or anyone. I'm as wolf as you are. Let me hunt with you."

Naruto conceded. *You two okay back there?* He asked the Pack mind.

*Gaara seems to be having an anxiety attack being near this many Kusa. Otherwise, we're fine being left behind,* Sasuke relayed calmly.

*The second you're off that Battleship, we run to act as bait. If it doesn't explode and take out the Cruisers, we'll see how dangerous the Invictus really is now,* Hana replied.

Naruto nodded and refocused on the Raptor.

"That's right, just bring us in nice and gently," Hinata said encouragingly. "Head towards those containers over there first."

Fu nodded and coaxed the Raptor around to slink ever closer to the small group of containers, situated near the Drydock framework that the Kusa had constructed. They passed around the rear of the partially refitted enemy Cruiser and it towered over them, blocking all light from the Kappa Indarran star. They waited pensively until their gunship left the shadow of the Kusa Cruiser and then continued onwards to their target. Fu brought them in very close to the containers, before halting their forward momentum with the judicious use of retro-thrusters.

"That was perfect!" Hinata said proudly. "I couldn't have done any better myself."

Fu beamed at the bluenette with delight and then turned to look at Naruto. "I kept my promise!" she said happily.

"You were amazing!" he agreed, stepping forward to lean over the back of her chair and give her an upside down kiss. The Nymph giggled cutely and kissed him back avidly.

"Come on," Hinata said with a laugh. "You can fuck her brains out later, but we better get on with this first!"

Naruto nodded and went down the elevator to the airlock. Rather than gear up for a spacewalk, he went for a Spirit-Walk. He floated through the airlock door out into space. Feeling like a ghost, Naruto went forward to check the containers. Using Psychic Translation on the Kusa glyphs, Naruto saw that they were all marked 'Steel'.

He returned to his body and thought *This one's a dud. Bring us to the next group.*

A few seconds later, the Raptor thrust forward and began to glide smoothly on to the next stack of containers. Naruto repeated the procedure and found they were steel containers too. With a mental order, the Raptor kept moving with barely a pause. The third time proved the charm. Naruto's Astral form saw the tune for 'Onyxium' on this stack of crates.

*There's too many to fit in the airlock. Bring the Raptor around so the Cargo Bay faces the containers.*

Fu faithfully obeyed his orders. Naruto and Hinata went into the Cargo Bay, sealing their armor when the Bay depressurized as the loading ramp descended. Grabbing a series of tethers from the wall, thirty to be precise, Naruto gave Hinata a mental kiss before jumping out the Raptor into space.

Guiding himself with mild uses of Telekinesis, Naruto reached the pile of Onyxium containers. Hooking the hooks of the tethers to helpful handles on the ore containers, Naruto gave Hinata the signal to reel them all in. Naruto rode shotgun on the crates until they were all piled in the Cargo Bay.

*This is enough to replate the Invictus twice over! We could plate a Battleship with this much and how much we already have. Score!* Tenten thought excitedly.

"Our 'requisitioning' trip is done. Now for the hard part,* Hinata thought. *Fu, dock us with the Battleship.*

*Yes, Hinata,* the Nymph replied, closing the loading ramp and then flying the Raptor stealthily to line up with one of the Battleship's airlocks.

They had transferred three rifles and plenty of ammo over to the dropship, and they securely fastened the loaded magazines to their utility harnesses before picking up the Laser Railguns. Naruto slapped in the magazine of sabots in front of the trigger guard, then picked up a clip of hollow point caseless and slotted it into place at the back of the weapon. The ammo counter on the side of the gun read 250/50, showing that he was ready to go. He brought the rifle up to his shoulder to look through the scope, before lowering it and turning to look at the girls. They were performing similar weapons checks and then they nodded at him, signifying they were ready to move out.

*You two should alternate, one of you Railgun and one of you Laser. Just in case they have better armor or shield generators in there,* Tenten advised.

John turned and looked at his Invictium sword, which was leaning forlornly against the wall. Given the Kusa's propensity for melee combat, he would have liked to have brought it with them, but hauling around the five foot long blade would be too encumbering. He sighed regretfully and then turned to leave the armory.

"Sorry Naruto, I forgot!" Tenten said, reaching out to put her hand on his chest to stop him from leaving. "I came up with a way you can carry the sword around with you!"

"Oh really?" he smiled. "I don't see a scabbard with you."

"It's the 28th century! I think we can come up with something a little more high-tech than that," she grinned at him impishly. "Now turn around so I can attach it for you."

Naruto did as she asked, facing away from the eager young woman. He felt her attaching something into place against the armor on his shoulder, followed by a rapid series of clicks, before she tapped him lightly on his arm.

"Ok you're good to go!" she said excitedly. "Go and pick up the sword and then bring it around to your back as though you were putting it into a scabbard."

He went over to the glistening white blade and picked it up in his right hand. Being careful not to hit the girls, the weapon racks or anything else in the armory for that matter, he brought the sword over his shoulder. He felt an odd tugging sensation on the grip when the hilt was parallel to his shoulder, as though the sword wanted to move out of his hand.

"Perfect!" Tenten exclaimed. "Now, just let go."

Following her instructions, Naruto released his grip on the weapon, wincing as he awaited the deafening crash of the sword clattering to the floor, but nothing happened. He turned his head to the right and saw the hilt and pommel sticking up over his right hand shoulder, floating there silently.

"Magnets, got to love them. I just attached an iron ring to the hilt and voila!" Tenten said proudly.

"Brilliant, babe," Naruto complimented, giving her a mental hug.

They walked back to the big room at the back of the gunship and gathered around the starboard airlock. Tenten pressed the button on the door, and then the three of them stepped into the airlock collar, before she closed the inner door behind them.

*Fu?* Naruto called over the Pack mind to the cockpit. "We're in position, have you docked us with the Battleship?"

*Yes, Naruto, the docking clamps are secured. You can board them whenever you're ready,* the Nymph said confidently.

*Great work, honey. Get clear and stay out of sight as soon as we're safely on board,* he ordered, pressing the button on the outer airlock door. As the collar was secured with an airtight seal, the sombre computer voice stayed silent this time and the airlock door spiralled open.

"That was anticlimactic," Hinata said wryly as they faced the sealed reinforced airlock door on the Kusa ship.

"Well I guess this is where I bust our way in," Naruto said eagerly, getting ready to batter the door.

"Easy there Hercules," Tenten chuckled. " I might be able to help with this one," she said, as she stepped up to the panel by the side of the airlock door and attached a hand held device. After rapidly entering a series of commands on the unfolding keyboard, the heavy bulkhead door split down the middle and then slowly eased apart, accompanied by the hiss of hydraulics. It signified that it had opened fully with a deep metallic clunk.

"Very impressive!" Naruto commended her. "How are you able to hack your way into their systems?"

"I tripped the hydraulics, and the door opened automatically," Tenten said triumphantly, as they stepped through the now yawning portal and into the airlock. She disconnected the device, and then fitted it to the other side of the door.

Before she sealed the door, Naruto placed his hand on the DNA reader on the Raptor. The green light scanned across his gauntleted hand and then after a quiet beep, the airlock door spiralled shut. A few moments later the Kusa airlock door hissed and groaned as it clanged closed.

*Ok stay safe, we're clear,* Naruto said to Fu.

*Just give me a call when you want a lift home!* Fu replied happily.

They watched through the small porthole in the airlock door as the gunship detached from the battleship and then disappeared silently from view. Turning towards the inner airlock door, they saw that this one was operated by a button and Tenten stepped forward to push it. The inner door clanked open noisily and they winced at the din as the small airlock filled with the grating sound.

They could see no sign of angry crew, or even alarms being raised and as they relaxed a little they realised why. The Kusa ship seemed to be alive with sound, heavy clanks and shrieks of metal echoing down the corridor and greeting them raucously where they stood in the hallway.

"For once I'm glad someone did a crap job on maintenance!" Tenten laughed with relief.

"Ok, which way to the Power Core?" Naruto asked quietly.

"If their Battleship follows the same design doctrine as their Cruisers, the Power Core will be centrally located in the aft of the ship," Tenten said after a moment's pause for thought. "If I had active scan results I could tell you for sure, but that's my best guess."

"Sounds sensible. Let's move out," he said decisively, taking the lead and walking down the corridor ahead of him with his weapon at the ready.

Tenten and Hinata followed behind, easily keeping pace as they headed deeper into the ship. The Drakkar vessel was dimly lit, with half the lights blown completely and every third or fourth light flickering intermittently, casting creepy shadows. Panels were pulled off the walls here and there, with the occasional cable snaking down from the ceiling. Tenten shook her head in disapproval as she looked over the exceptionally shoddy state of disrepair the ship was in.

The first cross section they arrived at, Naruto immediately moved to check the right corridor, while Hinata moved fluidly to the left; both poking their heads out to check at the same time. Seeing no signs of life, they headed further inwards and soon approached another cross junction.

Ahead of them Tenten could see that the corridor opened out into a larger room after another twenty meters, bulky four armed Kusa lurching about in the distance. While she was waiting pensively, unsure what to do, Hinata moved left and Naruto simultaneously checked to the right. Abruptly Naruto raised his railgun and fired, the quiet "Prrrkow!" of the three round burst sounding worryingly loud to the tense redhead. Hinata seemed to react instantly, pivoting on the spot and firing a second later, high velocity laser bolts blasting out to seek their targets. The two of them fired repeatedly down the corridor to the right, targeting some unseen foe.

Tenten watched the Kusa up ahead in the room in front of them, her weapon raised in case any of them turned and tried to raise the alarm. Her nerve wracking vigil ended as soon as it had began, when Hinata tapped her lightly on the arm and whispered. "Follow me, we need to cover the corridor."

Nodding, Tenten followed after her fully armored friend and stepped around to the right and out of potential line of sight to the room ahead of them. She looked wide eyed at the still twitching corpses of the three Kusa that had been walking down this corridor only a few meters away from the junction. With the element of surprise, Naruto and Hinata had been able to hose them down with railgun and laser rounds before they could hope to react. Huge holes had been shot through the purple armored aliens, dark blue blood and gore decorating the wall opposite.

Noting a handy room 15 meters away, Naruto used Psychic Strength and Telekinesis to haul the three corpses into it while Tenten and Hinata covered him. Closing the door behind him, he swung the lock closed before breaking the handle off, effectively locking the room from any snooping Kusa.

He then beckoned them to follow him, and they headed further down the corridor, away from the scene of the ambush. The corridor took a few random twists and turns, as they followed it towards the rear of the ship, before it eventually opened out in a stairwell, but instead of stairs, there were a few sets of ramps heading up and down.

"We better not hang around here," Naruto said quietly. "Which way do you think Tenten?"

Remembering that they had docked around the middle of the ship and halfway up the hull, Tenten stopped for a moment to get her bearings. "We probably want to head down a couple of levels, then head in towards the central spine of the ship," she said cautiously.

"Sounds good. Let's go," Naruto said, and moved confidently over to the nearest slope leading down.

"Movement above us!" Hinata whispered in warning.

"Move!" he said brusquely, and then darted ahead down the slope at Psychic Speed.

Hinata and Tenten followed his lead and sprinted after him as he raced down the ramp, turning a corner, and then following another ramp downwards. Instead of heading down any further, Naruto moved quickly across the open area by the many ramp entrances and checked the corridor that would take them into the central part of the ship. Hinata and Tenten darted over to join him, relieved to be moving out of the open and feeling a little less exposed.

They moved cautiously forward now, passing a few sealed doors and leaving them undisturbed as they moved ever deeper into the Battleship. Finally, they reached a sturdy blast door that was currently wide open, giving them a clear view into the big central chamber ahead.

"This is it!" Tenten whispered excitedly, peering around the corner. "I can see the power converter and the plasma conduits. We should definitely find the Power Core located in there."

There were numerous gantries leading upwards from the floor they were currently standing in, but they noticed many bulky figures wandering around on the upper levels.

"What's the plan again?" Naruto asked hushedly.

"You two sweep the place while I disable their power regulators. When I'm done, just turning the engines on will turn this place into a giant bomb. Then we make it for the Raptor and return to the Invictus and reveal ourselves!" Tenten spelled out.

Hinata nodded. She shot a challenging smirk at Naruto, felt more than seen. "Bet I can kill more Kusa than you."

Naruto checked the ammo counter on his Railgun (241/41), and grinned. "You're on." And with that, both took off at Psychic Speed.

Tenten shook her head before pulling out a multi-tool and opening a nearby panel. By the time she was halfway done, blue Kusa blood was dripping from the gantries. She finished her work on this batch of regulators and, realizing she'd be here for hours if she continued at this pace, entered Psychic Speed herself.

They all finished at roughly the same time, every Kusa engineer and crewman killed by either magnetically accelerated bullets or irradiated light. Tenten turned from the last set of regulators to see Naruto and Hinata standing behind her, covered in splatters of blue blood.

"So who won?" Tenten asked playfully.

"It was a tie," Hinata pouted.

"We can have a Railgun vs. Laser face-off another time. What matters is we didn't raise the alarm. Now let's get the hell out of here," Naruto ordered.

They contacted Fu and retraced their steps to the same airlock they'd entered from. The Pack members funneled into the Raptor and minutes later were safely back on the Invictus. Tenten hosed Naruto and Hinata down to clean their armor, the seals on the plates keeping them perfectly dry. They went up the anti-grav tube to the Bridge, stopping in the Briefing Room to unequip the armor, before taking their seats.

"So it was a success?" Sasuke asked.

"Time to find out. Hinata," Naruto ordered, "shake our ass in their face!"

Nodding at her Commander's command, Hinata powered up to full systems. She then swung the Invictus in a wide arc in front of the docked Battleship, indeed shaking the rear of the Invictus in the Kusa's direction.

"Now get clear of the blast radius!" Tenten cried out, knowing just how big the coming boom was.

Hinata raced away as the Tactical Map began to show the Battleship powering up. It's energy reading soon went from mild to off the charts, and with a white flash that blinded those watching the hologram, the entire drydock went up in a massive explosion on the scale of a miniature supernova.

"Whoo! Falling on their own sword! Sure hope that never happens to us," Hana said.

"That's the Kusa taken care of," Naruto said, pleased. His expression turned somber. "But who knows how many pawns that Uzu has?"

"We'll worry about him some other time. For now let's give the good news to the Suna High Council," Hinata soothed.

*My father will be most pleased. He may well honor the crew with a monument,* Gaara projected.

"Immortalized as a statue… not bad for a nobody orphan from Karron," Tenten mused.

Gaara opened a comm channel to Senior Councillor Rasa. The short Grey appeared on screen, his chain of office glinting in the light.

"Greetings, UzumakiNaruto. Have you any news of the Kusa?" He asked, his mechanical voice somehow sounding eager.

Naruto grinned victoriously. "Wiped out to a man. The Suna Collective is now free of Kusa."

The Senior Councillor heaved out a breath. "I thank the gods that you arrived with your hand held out in friendship, UzumakiNaruto. Rest assured, the Suna Collective will never forget your valor and sacrifice."

"Pleased to help. Now, there's something I've been meaning to ask you," Naruto said leadingly.

"We have no secrets from you, UzumakiNaruto. Ask any favor and it shall be granted."

"First off, can we use the drydock again for our Raptor gunship? Tenten has a few upgrades she wants to make but she had to focus on the Invictus," Naruto requested.

"I shall inform Councillor Kankuro to have the crews ready immediately. Simply dock at the same drydock you used before," Rasa said placidly.

"Secondly, and this is the big one, I want to see everything you have about the Uzu. All the artifacts, including the Legacy."

Rasa hesitated. "Why would you want to see the Legacy?"

"Well, if we're going to repair it to its former glory, Tenten will have to take a look at it," Naruto said humorously.

Rasa gaped and blinked. "You… you intend to take Orchimaru's ship as your own?"

"Actually, I intend to have Tenten design a better version and have it built with resources we get from the Suna Collective. The Legacy can be the Suna's secret weapon." Naruto grinned at Rasa's shocked expression. "It's been yours for ten thousand years, I'm not going to steal it."

"... We shall arrange a tour of the Uzu facility for tomorrow morning," Rasa stated. Then he blinked and bowed his head. "My son is in good hands," he said simply. Then the call ended.

"You want me to UPGRADE the Uzu vessel? Want me to discover anti-matter energy or xaser weaponry while I'm at it?" Tenten asked incredulously.

"If anyone can do it, it's you babe. These schematics have been dormant for thousands of years. It's time someone shook them up," Naruto said fervently.

"You can do it, Tenten!" Cheered Fu, with feedback given by the rest of the crew.

Tenten nodded, bolstered by their confidence. "I'll work on it over the next couple weeks. I'll feed the schematics and the instructions for making the Uzu elements to the Suna. We can contact Rasa even when we're in Konoha space, right?"

*Our communication satellites operate on compatible frequencies. If that fails, I can use the sub-plane created by the Suna military to communicate,* Gaara explained.

Hana rose a brow. "Wow, your own sub-plane. That's good as having Astral Bonds like we do. How did you make it?"

*It took four billion Suna operating in unison, with marginal assistance from Orochimaru himself. It has allowed for instantaneous communication among the Suna allowed to access it for millennia,* Gaara said with pride for his kind's accomplishment.

"We're back at Suna," Hinata announced, having been flying the Invictus the whole time.

"Good. Get us to the drydock, then Tenten can go down to give them the instructions for the Raptor. The rest of you, join me in the Lounge for dinner. I feel like ribs tonight, a proper barbeque. And afterwards we're having drunk sex in the shower!"

Tenten went down to meet with Engineer Zanthus and relayed her bevy of orders regarding the Raptor. Then she went up to Deck 2 to enjoy a vodka spritzer or two while Naruto used Psychic Fire to cheat and smoke the meat quickly before baking the racks of ribs he'd dry-rubed and lathered in homemade sauce. They one and all enjoyed the food with the exception of Gaara, who proved to have a surprisingly large taste for beer. Then they retreated to the Commander's Quarters where they had their nightly orgy, Naruto saving his load for Gaara. They all used Psychic Healing to avoid hangovers, Hinata helpfully doing it for Gaara, and collapsed into bed to sleep off a long-ass day.

* * *

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	26. Chapter 26

**Over 100 followers, yay! I knew we'd get there eventually!**

* * *

The Pack woke with the dawn, full of energy and ready to go. Naruto fed Gaara his breakfast while the others grabbed a quick shower, then Naruto dashed in for a rinse himself before heading for the Kitchen. They all dressed in formal wear, anticipating an audience with the High Council. Naruto felt in a celebratory mood, so he made crepes with fresh fruit and cream, to the universal delight of the crew. Then they made for the Bridge.

They had a communique waiting. Gaara waddled over to his Comms station and opened it. *These are the coordinates for the facility where we keep the artifacts of Orochimaru's reign, including the Legacy. It is our most secure location, exceeding the protections around even the High Council Chambers,* the Grey that had already grown a couple inches remarked.

"Why were you guys so paranoid about someone discovering an old wreck and a few cave paintings?" Tenten asked curiously.

*Because they were an UZU wreck and UZU cave paintings. After Orochimaru died, the first High Council decided to do its utmost to conceal the existence of our former leader's race from the entire Galactic League. To our knowledge, we are the only race of the Galactic League to remember in detail the Orochimaru Empire,* Gaara explained even as Hinata moved the Invictus to land at the coordinates.

The four powerful engines on the Invictus fired up, taking them around to the other side of the planet, before they began to descend into the atmosphere. Hinata brought them down closer to the reddish-orange surface of Suna, and a green guidepath lit up to lead them to their destination. They flew over what seemed like an abandoned, desolate area of arid scrubland, with no discernible features or buildings whatsoever, but the guidepath was still leading them directly towards it.

As they glided forward on their final approach, the surface of the planet seemed to split, and it became clear that there was a huge hangar bay concealed below them, that was now opening to grant them entry.

"Oh wow!" Tenten gasped, where she had been studying her Engineering console intently.

"What is it Tenten?" Naruto asked her curiously.

"I just did an active scan when they revealed the hangar. Check this out!" she said in wonder, hitting a few buttons on her console. A holographic representation of Suna's surface appeared in the Bridge, red, dry and dusty. Tenten manipulated a few more controls and then the newly revealed hangar was displayed, as well as hundreds of subterranean installations surrounding the underground facility.

"Those are planetary defence lasers!" Hana gasped in shock, as she spotted row upon row of massive weapons concealed below the surface. "A couple of hits from one of those would blow us out of the sky!"

*I was not exaggerating when I said it was our most secure location,* Gaara said with a hint of smugness.

Hinata brought the Invictus in for a gentle landing, right in the middle of the underground hangar bay. She powered off the engines, and then looked at Naruto expectantly with a reassuring smile on her face.

"Ok let's find out what they know," Naruto said resolutely, as he rose from his chair. The girls and guys followed his lead, and they headed out of the Bridge, down the grav-tube and then out the airlock on Deck 9. When the outer airlock spun open at Naruto's behest, they noticed a silvery-grey disk shaped ship parked nearby, with one of the robed Suna waiting for them patiently.

*Brother Kankuro,* Gaara projected, looking a bit embarrassed of his gravid state. *I half expected Father himself to be our guide.*

*He is busy preparing a… surprise for UzumakiNaruto and his crew. I volunteered to guide your new crew through our hallowed halls,* the Councillor stated warmly. *Greetings, UzumakiNaruto and the Uzumaki Pack. I see you've been taking good care of my younger brother.*

"Gaara is a sweetheart, we're happy to have him," Hinata said with a stunning smile that Kankuro needed a moment to recover from.

*Yes… first, I will show you the cave paintings. Please follow.*

Naruto strode after the quickly gliding councillor, with the girls and guys following in his wake. Kankuro opened the door and went inside, then led them past several security checkpoints, until they reached an anti-grav tube. Dozens of anti-personnel weapons were built into the walls, and the barrels tracked the group ominously as they walked closer to the tube. Kankuro went in first, leaving Naruto and his crew to follow behind him down the anti-grav tube. They descended in pensive silence, travelling downwards for what seemed like an eternity, before the tube eventually ended with a single exit. The robed Suna was waiting for them to land, and then he turned, leading them down a corridor to a high archway containing two heavily glyphed doors.

Naruto read the enchantments, getting inspiration for how to improve the nightly wards from the innovative invocations of protection and stealth. "Do the Suna remember how to read these?" he asked curiously.

*That knowledge has been lost to us. We preserved the intention of the enchantments but lack the capability to read the actual runes,* Kankuro provided. Walking up to a Psi-scanner set into the wall, he stood stationary, while his grey bulbous head was enveloped in a soft green glow. The doors to his side cracked open and then slowly split apart, revealing a huge cavernous room built hundreds of meters below the planet's surface. The room was shrouded in darkness, the faint overhead lights only offering tantalising glimpses of the unevenly shaped objects contained inside.

"What is this place?" Sasuke asked in awe, breaking the tense stillness of the underground cavern.

*This is our repository of everything we have found on the Uzu,* Kankuro replied quietly, his mental voice filled with reverence. *The entrance to the Legacy Chamber is hidden in here as well.*

Kankuro turned and faced a control panel set into a wall, and it began to glow with an ethereal green radiance. Throughout the room, spotlights began to activate, focused specifically on each of the objects stored within.

*We used to claim ownership of many worlds,* the Suna councillor began quietly. *We gathered every reference to your people we discovered.*

He led Naruto over to the first object, which was a series of massive stone tablets, inscribed with a primitive pictorial form of language. The images showed a pointy eared humanoid, wielding what looked like a bulky staff, and slaying red skinned humanoid men with lightning bolts. As they followed the story conveyed by the pictures, the mysterious staff wielding character seemed to amass a throng of red skinned females. There had clearly been more to the story, but the rest of the pictures had been sheared away from the crumbling stone edifice.

Hinata used Psychic Translation to read the intention behind each glyph and so read the foreign language. "'And so Orochimaru the Great and Terrible waged war against the Achonin, slaughtering their men, raping their women, and burning their cities'... this must be before he met Guren. Possibly millennia before she was born."

*You can read this? Our best archaeologists gave it up as a lost cause!* Gaara marveled.

"It's an Uzu power, you'll have it in about a week," Hinata explained nonchalantly.

"Cool! This one has him shooting lasers out his eyes!" Tenten gushed, having moved down the line. "Can I do that?"

"Get good at Light Manipulation and we'll see," Naruto said faintly, unable to look away from what was essentially his heritage. *Orochimaru enslaved so many… am I just following in his footsteps?*

*Not at all! You're a good man who wouldn't enslave anyone in your life! You got ME and you treated me with nothing but respect. Never doubt yourself like that again, Naruto,* Fu thought vehemently.

*I won't, honey,* he told her before giving her a big kiss.

Sasuke had been scanning each pictograph intently. He paused at one halfway down the line. "Here's more of Guren's race. And I'm pretty sure the creation of the Suna, the Iwa… and the Konoha," Sasuke said with a lump in his throat. "We were test-tube babies in an alien's lab. Adam and Eve were real… I think I have to lie down."

Hana gave Sasuke a hug as his whole worldview was altered. She turned to face Kankuro and Gaara. "How did Orochimaru die? You say he sacrificed himself?"

*Roughly 10,000 Konoha years ago, another Uzu appeared and started wreaking havoc on the portion of the Orochimaru Empire dedicated to the Iwa. Dozens of planets were shattered; this is the reason for all the asteroid belts in the Iwa Republic. Orochimaru met him in battle, and did something that caused an explosion strong enough to create a tear in space-time. We assume he self-destructed his Wormhole Generator. The Suna retrieved the broken shell of Orochimaru's ship and over the millennia have attempted to preserve and even repair it… though I suspect Tenten will point out a great many mistakes we made,* Kankuro answered, turning a bit wry at the end.

"The Niryean Rift? That was caused by an Uzu pulling a suicide move? Damn, I feel chills," Hinata shuddered.

"Niryean Rift?" Fu asked, confused.

"It's a spatial anomaly in the Zeta Pegasus system," Naruto provided. "Shipping's been going missing there for centuries, Fu," Naruto explained, giving her an apologetic smile. "The system is densely packed with rich asteroid belts and it sometimes draws in miners bold or crazy enough to try mining there. Sometimes they come back rich men, sometimes they don't..."

"With no wreckage ever found... it's as though their ships disappeared without a trace!" Hinata elaborated in a theatrically spooky voice. She abruptly went quiet, lost in her thoughts.

"So basically the Bermuda Triangle, like back on Konoha?" Hana asked to clarify.

"Yeah, like that. And apparently it's the site of Orochimaru's last stand," Naruto mused. "Wonder how many of his Thralls he took down with him… or if he even thought of that," he said darkly.

Kankuro blinked. *I believe it is time we show you the Legacy. No non-Suna has ever had this privilege before,* he informed them, before leading them to a second, secret Psi-Scanner set in the back wall of the room. His head was scanned to confirm his brain waves and Psi-Signature, before an invisible join opened and a second set of doors was revealed.

The Uzumaki Pack walked in to find the room totally dark, though the wind made it feel cavernous. Kankuro activated another panel and the lights turned on. The crew, to a one, gasped.

It was as massive as it was damaged. The glistening black of Unobtanium armor plating covered the ship in smooth yet angular lines. The ship was somewhere between the size of a Battleship and a Dreadnought. Several sections had been filled in with silvery Etherium, the smooth symmetry of the Uzu vessel ruined by the roughshod work that was the best the Suna could do.

"Oh my gods, you've ruined it!" Tenten exclaimed in dismay.

Kankuro bowed his head. *We did the best we could without any schematics to work from. This represents the pinnacle of Suna engineering.*

"Well, it's still a sloppy job. You might as well just tear out all the Etherium and start from scratch with the schematics I give you. You could start producing Unobtanium within a week with a reactor plant or two dedicated to producing Uzu elements."

*How long would it take to repair the Legacy to its former glory?* Gaara asked curiously, sharing a look with his brother.

"Using a team the size of the one that redid the Invictus, if everything goes to production schedule… I'd say a couple months. Three or four if there are delays in producing the elements or fusing them together to make the alloys," Tenten said, counting on her fingers for a bit.

*9000 years of work, and it only takes 60 days if you know what you're doing. I don't know whether to be pleased or ashamed,* Kankuro thought miserably.

Fu patted him on the head, unknowing or uncaring that she was touching a government official. "Don't worry, Tenten has a habit of making us feel like idiots. It's not just you."

Naruto was unable to look away from the wrecked Uzu vessel. The psychic remnants all but dripping off of it spoke of millennia of suffering and death. Thousands, maybe even millions of Thralls had died on that ship over the years. Naruto was haunted by the fact that a ship like this, in another life, would have been his 'legacy' too.

Sasuke, sensing his lover's distress, sidled up next to him and wrapped an arm around Naruto's shoulder. "Just imagine how it will look in white," he said encouragingly.

Naruto blinked before he nodded and managed a weak smile. "At least purifying the Onyxium makes it a nice neutral color. Imagine if it had turned pink!"

Hinata chuckled. "That would have been a sight to see. A fleet destroyer, shaded like Sakura's hair!"

Kankuro stepped forward. *Do you wish to enter it?*

"No!" Naruto said a little too emphatically. "I don't know how you can go in without going into psychic shock. Let's not scar our psyches anymore than they already are, okay?"

Kankuro nodded. *It is indeed a struggle. Very well, we shall leave. Father should be done with his preparations for you.*

They left the Uzu Chambers and went up the anti-grav tube back to the surface. Kankuro gratefully accepted a ride in the Invictus, marveling at the work his kind's engineers had done on the Assault Cruiser. They followed the provided flight path to an empty Docking Bay directly underneath the trading emporium of Suna's capital. Magnetic clamps grabbed them and turned them upside down before locking into place.

The Pack and Kankuro walked out the airlock. Naruto saw an opportunity for a prank and couldn't resist. "Hey, guys, what color is the sky?"

Everyone looked up only to scream and crouch down to cling to the ground. For the 'sky' was the surface of Suna, hovering kilometers 'above' them. Naruto burst into laughter, while Gaara and Kankuro chuckled, used to the phenomenon after a lifetime on Suna.

"That was a dirty trick, Naruto," Hinata grumbled.

"They say the ability to laugh at yourself is a sign of a well-adjusted mind," Sasuke mused, hand on his racing heart.

"I'm making you pay at our next spar," Hana swore.

"Gotta love anti-grav," Tenten said good naturedly.

"I almost turned into a bird!" Fu reported.

Kankuro got their attention and then he turned to lead them over to the anti-grav shafts up to the surface of the shipyard. A hushed silence had fallen over their little group as they floated up to the top level, and stepped out onto the dusty red street. They followed the robed Grey quietly, as he guided them down the road to the main thoroughfare.

"Where are we heading?" Naruto eventually asked their Grey guide, as he grew ever more intrigued.

*To the Trader's Emporium, you will see why, shortly,* Kankuro said.

After they had walked for a few hundred more meters along the bustling main boulevard, Kankuro brought them to a stop by one of the anti-gravity tubes, that led up to the mezzanine level above them. *The High Council is awaiting you up there, we will join them momentarily,* he advised them in his quiet, baritone voice.

Naruto nodded, and they stepped into the anti-gravity field, ascending upwards after Kankuro. They finally reached the top level, and stepped out, but stopped in stunned surprise at what awaited them.

All the merchant booths had been temporarily cleared, leaving the vast mezzanine completely open. Thousands of Suna awaited them, lined up in orderly rows and all watching and waiting for High Councillor Kankuro to appear with his honored guests. There was a wide path through the throng of Grey citizens, leading directly towards eight robed Ashanath, who John recognised as being the High Council. They stood in a row, awaiting Naruto and his crew, in front of a large silvery object that dominated the otherwise empty trader's emporium.

*If you would follow me please,* Kankuro said, with a deep respectful bow.

Naruto glanced at the girls and guys, who were looking a little overawed, and then nodded his assent to Kankuro. The councillor glided ahead of them, and the Invictus crew followed behind him as he led them through the huge crowd of staring alien citizens. Feeling very self conscious, they were relieved when they finally arrived in front of the High Council. Kankuro went to stand at his place with his colleagues, and Senior Councillor Rasa stepped forward.

"UzumakiNaruto, we are honored that you and your companions would grace us with your presence this day. As our loyal allies, you have done so much for the Suna Collective, saving many thousands of lives with your elimination of the vicious Kusa raiders," he said, the unemotional voice of his speech modulator still conveying the gratitude in his words.

"It gives me great pleasure to announce that you will always be welcome on Suna as a friend to the Suna people, and we wish to unveil a tribute we have constructed in your honor," he declared, before turning around to face the large silvery object behind him.

The silvery object began to rustle, and it became apparent that it was a silver coloured cloth of some kind, that was being pulled back to reveal whatever was concealed beneath. John and the Pack watched spellbound, as the silvery cloth moved slowly up and backwards, before finally dropping away, leaving the huge monument to gleam brightly in the sunlight.

"Oh, wow!" Tenten muttered, awestruck, as she stared up with disbelieving eyes at the monument that loomed above them.

The monument was made out of Etherium, and was a perfect replica of Naruto, Hinata, Sasuke, Hana, Tenten, Fu, and Gaara. The attention to detail by the Suna sculptors was incredible, having managed to perfectly capture the beauty of each of the girls, the handsomeness of the men, and even going so far as to manage to get the order right in the way they arranged themselves around Naruto. The seven of them were positioned in a heroic pose, and the fifty foot tall statue dominated the view over the Mezzanine, clearly viewable from all areas.

"This is incredible," Naruto said in wonder, his voice hushed.

"You have saved a great many lives with your intervention against... the Kusa." Rasa murmured to him quietly, pausing significantly when he spoke. "We hope that by positioning the monument to you and your companions here, then tales of your exploits will spread amongst the other races that come to trade with us."

"Thank you for your amazing generosity, Rasa," Naruto said sincerely, before turning to face the assembled Suna citizens.

"I feel honored to consider the wonderful people of the Suna Collective my ally," Naruto began, addressing the crowd in a strong voice that echoed around the plaza. "It was only through the hard work and technical skills of citizens here on Suna, that we were able to defeat the Kusa and bring an end to their brutal attacks. I hope that through future cooperation, we can continue to achieve great things together, forging a bright future, side by side as allies and friends!"

There was a psychic ripple as the gathered Grey's reacted to that speech.

*Of course, what Rasa didn't say is that this marks us as the Suna's allies to the rival Uzu as well,* Naruto pointed out to his crew.

*My father is prone to grand gestures with double or even triple meanings. He was sincere in wanting to honor you, but he also acted to protect the Suna Collective,* Gaara explained.

*Then I guess we better get to Uzu grade tech sooner rather than later. I'm officially working on the AI Mainframe next. I need an assistant that can keep up with me,* Tenten projected.

Sasuke visibly tensed. *Do it at all our risk,* he thought snidely.

Naruto turned back to the Council once more, before he bowed to them, and they in turn all bowed deeply towards him. Rasa then stepped forward and spoke to him again, "We wish you a safe journey, and will always offer you the hand of friendship should you ever find yourself in need UzumakiNaruto."

"Likewise, Senior Councillor," Naruto replied, and then turned to walk back through the huge crowds of Suna civilians who looked on, following their every move as they left the mezzanine of the trader's emporium. They stopped by the anti-gravity tube that led back down to the boulevard and Naruto and the Pack waved the assembled Suna a warm wave goodbye. The aliens copied the movement awkwardly and then the crew stepped into the tubes and away from sight.

They walked along in silence for a few minutes until they were back in the anti-grav passage leading down to the hangar bay housing the Invictus. They glanced at each other with excited eyes, and managed to keep it together until they opened the airlock into the Assault Cruiser, and walked inside. The moment the airlock door spiralled shut, the spell of silence was broken and they exploded into excited chatter.

"That was wonderful!" Fu exclaimed excitedly, looking up at Naruto adoringly.

"They built a statue to us!" Tenten said, bouncing up and down with glee.

"My family would freak if they saw this!" Hana gasped in wonder.

They all retreated to the Officer's Lounge for a celebratory drink, discussing the statue and the gesture it represented, and reflecting on their conflict with the Kusa in general.

* * *

"Where are you, you elusive bastard?!" the brooding figure snarled in anger, slamming his fist down on the gothic throne. He had been working through his vast network of informants, but none of his contacts seemed to have a clue where Commander Uzumaki Naruto had disappeared to.

"You can't have just vanished!" he exclaimed, finding this particular target to be absolutely infuriating.

The last reports he had received, showed Uzumaki Naruto and his Assault Cruiser to be sighted at Olympus Shipyard, but that was nearly two weeks ago, and there had been neither sight nor sound of him since then. Fortunately the contract didn't specify a deadline for its completion, but this was the longest he had ever taken to eliminate a target, and he wouldn't risk anything tarnishing his darkly won reputation.

"Maybe another approach is needed here," he mused to himself, stroking his chin thoughtfully.

He reached over to his console and made a call.

* * *

Naruto and his crew of beautiful young women and 1.5 handsome men were up on the Bridge of the Invictus. They had watched quietly as Hinata had taken off from the docking bay, and then skilfully guided the huge spacecraft through the canyons underneath the vast shipyard, until finally she had them soaring away into the upper atmosphere of Suna.

"I got kind of used to having Suna as our base of our operations," Tenten said wistfully as the arid reddish-orange planet's surface grew small behind them on the holographic display in the bridge. As they left orbit, the planetary map was replaced by the System Map, casting a soothing yellow glow over the bridge from the representation of the Suna star.

"You seemed to be very popular amongst the Suna engineers," Fu observed, glancing at the ravenette and offering her a friendly wink.

"I think Tenten just got used to being followed around by adoring minions," Hana joked good naturedly.

"What's that like Naruto?" Hinata asked innocently.

The girls and guys erupted into laughter as they looked up at him, sitting in his Command Chair overlooking the Bridge. "I enjoy it immensely," he noted archly, before his face lit up with a grin.

"I'm sure you do," Sasuke smiled at him affectionately.

"So XO, how long until we reach Epsilon Eridani and Jericho?" Naruto asked, adeptly changing the subject to Hana's home planet. "I'm curious to meet the potential in-laws," he added looking at Hana and smiling.

"Potential? You mean I gave you my virtue and you don't intend for us to be wed?" She asked scandalized, holding her hand to her mouth.

Naruto smiled tenderly at his Tactical Officer and used Telekinesis to drag her to him and kiss her thoroughly. When he pulled back, he turned to regard all of the crew. "I intend to marry each of you as soon as I find the right rings and find an officiant that will perform a group marriage."

The Pack were stunned by the Alpha's words.

"Master," Fu breathed with tears in her eyes.

"I'm head wife, right?" Hinata asked half-seriously.

"Itachi is going to kill me," Sasuke lamented, a smile on his face.

"I demand a 5-karat rock on mine," Tenten joked, honestly taken aback by Naruto's promise.

Gaara held his silence, but he bowed his head towards his Uzu master.

Hana cupped Naruto's face. "This mean I'm introducing you as my fiance?"

"Of course not. I haven't proposed yet. Each of you will get your own," Naruto answered with his trademark grin.

Hinata shook her head. "Let's just focus on getting to Hana's home," Hinata said, pulling up the Galaxy Map. She calculated the flight path, using her warp tunneling technique to the max. "1.25 days, or dinner time tommorow."

"My mother doesn't even arrive until two days from now. I guess we're sleeping over. Hopefully my brothers don't object to Naruto and I sharing my childhood room!" Hana joked, genuine worry hidden in her voice.

Naruto hugged her close. "I'll sleep on the floor of your parents' room if they insist. I want to make a good impression on your family."

Gaara raised his hand, having grasped basic Konoha arm gestures. *Will I still be meeting InuzukaHana's family? I am roughly 13 meals away from becoming a Beta Uzu.*

"Yes, but you'll have to use your speech modulator. Hopefully they just think you're a particularly tall Grey," Naruto answered.

Gaara nodded. "That is acceptable," came the whispery voice from his collar.

"Do you need new clothes? Those robes must be getting tight," Hinata asked in concern.

*They are very stretchy. They might fit my final form… barely,* Gaara responded.

"Speaking of, it's lunch time. You guys go down and get started, Gaara and I will be along in about five minutes," Naruto ordered his Pack.

The Pack nodded, each giving Naruto a kiss on their way to the anti-grav tube. Gaara waited patiently for Naruto to sit down in his Command Chair and unbuckle his belt and unzip his fly.

*I already feel stronger, more energetic, more centered. The psychic stimulant in your semen is really quite valuable,* Gaara remarked as he got down on his knees.

Naruto smiled down at his male Thrall. *And I'm sure you enjoy the autofellatio the Astral Bond allows.*

*That goes without saying.*

Gaara sucked the long, thick cock into his mouth, savoring the sugar sweetness of Naruto's pre. He used skills he'd acquired in his youth to coax a load from those perfect spheres, until finally he was rewarded with a bulging belly and a tangible sense of power suffusing his every cell.

Naruto guided the cum-drunk Suna to the Officer's Lounge, where he found his team had decided on burgers and sausages for lunch. He built his burger and had a couple hot dogs, laughing as everyone made a show of deepthroating the wieners before eating them. Afterwards, they cleaned the dishes and went to the Commander's Quarters to change into more comfortable clothes.

"I say we all have a spar, a real free-for-all. Winner gets to be center of attention tonight," Naruto proposed.

Sasuke shrugged. "I'm game if you are."

"I need the practice for when I spar my brothers tomorrow," Hana said, bouncing in place to warm-up.

"I should learn how to fight in this form. I agree," Fu complied.

Tenten shook her head. "I need to work on the Mainframe. It'll take me three days to make and assemble all the parts. I'll be using one of the empty offices on Deck 3. Don't worry, it'll be on a closed network before I hook it up to the rest of the Invictus's systems."

Hinata grinned. "Prepare to worship me tonight," she said with confidence.

Gaara looked down at his 5'3 body and distended middle. *I shall simply watch.*

They all went for the Gym and then engaged in the fiercest combat the crew had ever seen, including the fights with the Kusa and Nuke. Everyone made full use of Psychic Speed and Strength, and their own personal adaptation of Naruto's original skillset. Meanwhile, Tenten began to work on the invention that would produce an invaluable ally… or spell their inevitable doom.

Fu proved the surprise victor, her ability to shapeshift claws making her the deadliest opponent and managed to mark up each of them. Nothing that Psychic Healing couldn't fix, but definitely 'killing' blows. Everyone panted before stripping off their clothes and jumping in the pool to cool off.

"Great job, Fu! And that wasn't even as a tiger! You just might be the most dangerous member of the Pack!" Naruto gushed as he tread water.

"I'm flattered, but if we'd been allowed to use other powers I'd have been sunk. You could have just choked us all with Telekinesis," Fu replied, swimming up close to him to smell his sweat.

"I would have electrocuted you all right from the off," Sasuke grumbled.

"You seem really attached to Psychic Lightning. Did you stick your finger in a socket as a child?" Hana asked the former Vice Admiral.

Sasuke looked away. "I have no idea what you're talking about. I did NOT chew the wires to the lamp."

"So, our emerald goddess gets the gangbang treatment tonight. That means tentacle sex once Naruto or Sasuke goes up her ass," Hinata said while floating on her back.

Gaara waddled over to sit on the edge of the pool. *That was a masterful display. I cannot imagine ever being so competent myself, even with Knowledge Transference.*

They all smiled at their telepathic crewmate. "You'll get there one day, buddy. And you'll also be a crack shot and have every psychic power you can imagine. You're going to be quite the threat one day soon," Naruto said brightly. "Now, I think our makeshift bath is over. Let's get a real shower then go for a drink."

They all grabbed their dirty clothes and made for Deck 2. They threw their workout gear in the hamper and filed into the open shower. They had fun scrubbing each other off before drying off. Since it was just them aboard, they walked nude to the Officer's Lounge and arranged themselves on the comfy chairs with their drink of choice.

Naruto spent a couple hours preparing a Shepherd's Pie. Everyone, including Tenten who faithfully reported for dinner, enjoyed the combination of flaky crust, beef, and peas. Gaara ducked under the table for his own dinner.

They blew Fu's mind afterwards in an orgiastic haze that lasted hours. They all collapsed into bed, Gaara rounded out with one last load.

* * *

**Hana's family next chapter. Please fave, follow, or review.**


	27. Chapter 27

**Big chapter today! Hope you enjoy the visit to Hana's family.**

* * *

The next day, everyone awoke bright and early, feeling refreshed and ready to go. They all practically leapt out of bed in their eagerness to get started, except for Gaara who was laden down by his morning load from Naruto. He'd grown another inch overnight, and gotten some thickness to his spindly arms and legs.

"Nervous about seeing your family?" Naruto asked.

"Kinda. Is there a word for equal parts scared and excited?" The Inuzuka asked.

"Anxious should work," Hinata said before hugging her close.

They all followed their own pursuits until lunch and again till dinner. Tenten worked on the AI Mainframe. Hinata decided to practice firing with Lasers rather than bullets, accompanied by Hana and Sasuke. Fu busied herself in the pool while Naruto practiced his psychic powers and Gaara watched incredulous.

At 1800, the Invictus slipped effortlessly out of hyper warp in Epsilon Eridani, and the crew watched from their places on the Bridge, as the holographic map displayed the bright yellow star at its center. There were two wide asteroid belts that ringed the system, and one single huge planet that was labelled Jericho.

"Nearly home Hana," Naruto said with a smile as he watched the brunette's reaction.

"It feels like so long ago when I last visited, but it's only been a matter of months!" she replied, shaking her head in amazement. "I can't believe how much I've been through since then..."

"We'll be landing at the closest planetary spaceport to your parents' home in about twenty minutes," Hinata said, having plotted a course to the huge planet already, the glowing green path clearly displayed on the system map.

"Looking forward to seeing everyone?" Sasuke asked Hana with a grin.

"Honestly, I'm a bit worried how they'll react to my physical changes," she replied pensively.

"Your father seemed to react very well when he noticed," Fu said, remembering the call they'd received two weeks earlier.

"I guess I'll just have to wait and see," Hana said nervously.

"Before we land, why don't we give Sakura a call, and check to see if she might be interested in joining the crew?" Hinata asked Naruto mischievously.

*It'll take her mind off seeing her family,* she sent privately to Naruto across their mental link.

"Sure, that's a great idea," Naruto agreed, smiling at Hinata's thoughtfulness.

Hinata entered the contact details into the comms interface, and the powerful communications relay built into the Invictus reached out towards the distant Dragon March; to Port Medea, where Sakura was stationed. After taking a few minutes to establish a connection, the pinkette answered the call, her pretty face appearing on the viewscreen. She no longer looked like she was about to pass out from lack of sleep, and her glasses were pushed back on her head, revealing her light green eyes.

"Hey Hinata!" Sakura exclaimed with delight. "It's great to hear from you."

"Hey yourself," Hinata replied back, her voice warm and friendly. "You seem a lot perkier than the last time we spoke. Is this a good time to talk?"

"Oh yes, sorry about that. Finals were exhausting, and I was suffering from some serious sleep deprivation!" the pinkette replied, blushing prettily. "I go on shift in ten minutes, so you caught me at a good time."

"Hello Sakura," Naruto greeted her with a smile.

"Oh, hi Naruto!" she replied excitedly. "I saw your interview on the holo-net a few weeks ago! Did you guys really fight off a Nuke invasion force?"

"That we did," he grinned, then glanced at the girls and guys on the Bridge. "Fortunately I have a fantastic crew, and we were able to save a lot of people."

"Sounds pretty amazing," she replied, obviously impressed.

"How's everything been going on your first posting?" Naruto asked her curiously.

"Ok, I guess," she replied, her happy expression growing more subdued.

"That doesn't sound good, are you alright?" he asked her, his voice concerned.

Sakura's eyes darted around her dorm room furtively, checking to see if anyone was within earshot. "This is a secure communication channel, right?" she asked nervously.

"Yes, we're using a military relay. It's automatically encrypted," he replied reassuringly.

"We're seeing so many casualties!" she gasped in a hushed voice. "I think things are going far worse against the Kumo than we've been led to believe. I knew I'd be treating plenty of combat injuries, but this has been relentless. I've lost... nearly a dozen patients that I just couldn't save, and I've only been here two weeks." she added, her face downcast and looking deeply troubled.

"I suspected that things weren't going well, and we've seen some badly damaged K-Fed ships, but that definitely doesn't sound good," Naruto said, agreeing with the pinkette's suspicions.

"We're not far from you at the moment, if you'd like us to swing by," Hinata chipped in. "We're looking to recruit a Medical Officer, so I thought you might be interested. If not, I can still offer you a friendly hug," she smiled at her gently.

Sakura's eyes lit up for a moment, before the sudden hope faded. "That sounds amazing, and I'd really love to apply for the post, but I'm locked into a Konoha Federation military contract for the next five years," she said soberly. "I guess they need to get value for money after all the training they put me through."

"My Tactical Officer is still with the Federation, but she's been granted an indefinite leave of absence. We might be able to arrange something similar for you, if it turns out you're interested in joining us," Naruto said, re-igniting the hopeful spark in Sakura's eyes.

"Oh, I'd love a chance at an interview!" she said eagerly. "Just let me know when you'll be arriving, and I'll make sure I'm available!"

"Will do!" Hinata grinned at her happily. "It will take us just under a day to get to the Dragon March from here. I'll get in touch when we're getting ready to leave."

"I can't wait!" Sakura said excitedly, "See you soon!"

"See you soon!" Hinata replied, blowing her a playful kiss before ending the communication.

"You really think you'll be able to get her out of her contract?" Sasuke asked dubiously.

"I have a feeling High Command wants to stay on our good side. They'll hardly object to us borrowing a newly qualified medic," Naruto reasoned.

Hinata grinned, and she returned her focus to the controls for the Invictus, and brought them in on final approach to the planetary spaceport on Jericho.

Jericho's surface looked to be green and full of life, although there weren't huge bodies of water to be seen on the planet. The polar regions on this huge planetary body were substantial, capping the top and bottom of the otherwise green orb in white. As the third closest star system to Konoha, Epsilon Eridani had been part of the Konoha Federation for centuries, and Jericho was a long established, and highly developed colony.

As soon as she had been granted final landing clearance, Hinata brought their sleek white Assault Cruiser in to land at the spaceport. They looked out over the assembled ships, seeing mainly Konoha Freighters and passenger liners, and the Invictus glided smoothly into position to touch down at the landing pad indicated by the glowing green guidepath.

"What's with all the passenger ships?" Tenten asked curiously, as she studied the large civilian vessels.

"Jericho is a popular destination for skiers," Hana explained. "Those passenger liners bring in the holiday makers for the ski-resorts on the polar caps."

"What is 'skiing'?" Gaara asked, switching to vocal speech through his modulator to get in the habit for Hana's family.

"Oh, right, Suna didn't have any ice. Skiing is a sport. You strap slides to your feet and ski down a mountainside," Hana explained.

"Sounds ridiculous and dangerous," Tenten said, her opinion of skiing clear.

"Oh, it's great fun! I grew up skiing on holidays. I could teach you all," Hana said enthusiastically.

"We can have a vacation in the snow some other time. For now let's focus on the mission at hand, meeting your family," Naruto declared.

They went down to Deck 9, and filed into the Raptor after Hana insisted her parents wouldn't mind them arriving in a Special Forces gunship. If anything, it would earn them points. They followed behind the Nymph, who was already disappearing up the ramp at the front of the gunship. Naruto pressed a button on the remote in his jacket pocket, and the hangar bay door began to slide up slowly, opening up the huge portal in the side of the Assault Cruiser's hull. Tenten was the last one inside the Raptor, and she hit the button on a wall mounted panel that would close up the ramp behind them. They walked through the reinforced door at the back of the room, and Naruto noticed the new anti-grav tubes that they'd had fitted since he'd last been in here.

"Very nice," he said to Tenten appreciatively, as they stepped into the blue glow and rose effortlessly up to the top deck.

"It's a huge extravagance just to avoid pressing the button on a lift, but as the Suna did it for free, I'm not complaining!" the ravenette grinned back at him.

"It saves valuable seconds in a combat situation, so it was well worth doing," Naruto said, then returned her grin. "And as you say, our new allies picked up the tab!"

They fanned out to take seats behind Fu, who had already sat down, and was powering up the gunship. The Raptor had a pilot and co-pilot's chair, as well as six other seats; three on either side at the back of the roomy cockpit.

"These are new too aren't they?" Hana asked, looking around at the comfy seats.

"Yeah, I had the Suna add a few more seats up here. We had the space, and it beats standing!" Tenten replied.

"Why six?" Naruto asked her curiously, noting the one unoccupied chair.

"No real reason, that's just how many I could fit in with the space available," Tenten replied with a shrug.

"Looks like I'll need to find some nice warm bodies to fill them," Hinata said, looking at Naruto with a sly smile.

He opened his mouth to reply, before she quickly cut him off. "XO in charge of recruitment!" she exclaimed with relish.

"You'll never hear the end of that," Sasuke said with a quirked smile.

"I know," Naruto agreed in a fake moan.

Hana took the co-pilot's seat as Fu lifted the Raptor up and out of the Invictus's Docking Bay. She pressed a button to close the doors after she was clear, and then followed Hana's clear and simple instructions towards her childhood home.

It was only a quick five minute flight in the extremely fast gunship, and they watched out of the wide cockpit, eager to get a first glimpse of their destination. As Hana guided Fu to her old home, the townhouse turned out to be located on the outskirts of a sprawling leafy suburb, with big ranch style homes placed a good distance apart from each other on substantial plots of land.

"I think 'townhouse' undersells this place a little," Naruto said appreciatively as they approached slowly, and then touched down gently at the back of the big house, on a large flat area denoted by glowing chevrons.

"Why have you got a landing pad in your back garden?" Tenten asked Hana curiously.

"My mom sometimes gets dropped off directly by dropship when she's on leave from the Damocles. It's just easier than having the neighbors griping about the dropship pilots messing up the sidewalk out front," she said, rolling her eyes.

Laughing, they left the cockpit, travelled down in the anti-grav tube, and then waited patiently as the front loading ramp dropped down. Hana glanced nervously at Naruto while they waited, and he reached out to squeeze her hand gently, as he offered her a reassuring smile. The smooth whirr of the hydraulics came to an end, letting them know the ramp was fully deployed, and they strolled out as a group to look directly out over the wide lawn lined on both sides with trees. There was a pagoda positioned centrally in the lawn, and at the back of the long garden, Naruto spotted a double swing seat attached securely to a tree limb. Looking to their right was the main house, a brick and timber construction with a big patio to the rear, that contained a good selection of comfortable looking garden furniture. The air on Jericho was deliciously crisp and clean, feeling wonderfully fresh after the slightly staler air they were used to on board their ship, and they breathed deeply, filling their lungs.

"Remind me to work on the Oxygen filters after the Mainframe," Tenten said appreciatively. "I want to breathe air like this all the time!"

"Will do. Now battle positions everyone. We're about to be assaulted," Naruto said, noticing movement inside the townhouse through the windows.

Inuzuka Jack rushed out of the French doors and across the patio, his arms flung wide. "Hana-banana!" He cried as Hana rushed into her father's arms, all her worries forgotten.

"It's so good to see you, dad!" she said happily, and the two Inuzuka hugged each other fiercely with tears in their eyes. They eventually broke apart, and her father turned to look at Naruto and the crew curiously.

"I'm so sorry guys," Hana said, brushing the happy tears from her face. "This is Jack, my father. Dad, this is Naruto, Hinata, Sasuke, Tenten, Fu, and Gaara," she added, smiling at them as she faced each one in turn.

Jack stepped forward with a tremulous smile on his face, before putting his arms around an astonished Naruto and Hinata, and hugging them tightly despite being only 5'7.

"Thank you both so much for saving my little girl!" he thanked them profusely through tear filled eyes. "She told me all about how you rescued her from pirates!"

"You're welcome Mr Inuzuka," Naruto replied awkwardly, not sure how to react to the grateful man he had only just met.

Before they could respond any further, three olive skinned men appeared through the glass doors at the back of the house, and strode over eagerly. Hana ran over to her brothers laughing happily, and they crowded around her, each of them giving her a big bear hug in turn.

"Come on," Jack smiled at Naruto and the Pack warmly, waving them to follow him. "My apologies for my daughter, she's being a terrible hostess."

They walked up to the Inuzuka brothers who were now staring at Hana in amazement, finally having a chance to get a good look at her once the initial hugs were out of the way.

"Holy shit, Hana! What the fuck happened to you?" Asked one of the two identical twins, wearing a jacket with a fur-lined collar despite the spring heat.

"Kiba, language," Jack scolded.

"Sorry, dad," Kiba said, wincing.

"Seriously, you look completely different than you did at Christmas break from the Academy. Did you get work done?" Asked the tallest of the triplets who had Hana's nose but his father's face.

"If you must know, I had a late growth spurt, Kuromaru. You can get ideas of medical experiments out of your little doctor head," Hana deflected.

"And the ears?" He pressed.

"Sign of solidarity with my new crew. My Commander was born with them and we got the surgery to look like him to show he's not alone."

A version of Kiba wearing glasses raised a brow. "The Commander you're sleeping with? And don't give me that look, you know dad can't keep a secret."

Hana blushed, but looked back and held out her hand. Naruto took it and joined Hana in facing her brothers. "Dad, bozos, this is my boyfriend and yes my boss, Uzumaki Naruto."

"Pleasure to meet you all," Naruto said, bowing at the waist. "Hana and I have been dating for over a month now. We're very much in love. I'll respect you as her family, but I won't be intimidated by you."

"Woo, this one's got balls," Kiba said with a feral grin.

"You have NO idea," Hana said in her filthiest tone.

Her brothers as one covered their ears. "Gah! Little sister sex! Error! Error!" Kiba roared.

"Was that really necessary?" Akamaru demanded.

"Hana, you really have… matured," Kuromaru managed.

Jack rolled his eyes and waved everyone indoors. "Come on, get inside. You can torture each other in the name of sibling rivalry indoors. And what happened to being on best behavior for our guests?" Jack huffed. "I raised wild dogs, I swear."

The eleven of them filed indoors, where Jack made them sit around the massive kitchen table, at least as big as the one on the Invictus. Naruto attempted to help with the dinner preparations, but Jack insisted on doing everything himself since he was nearly finished.

"So, this is the rest of your crew? What's everyone's office?" Kuromaru asked. It was obvious he was the oldest, the other Inuzuka naturally gravitated around him.

"I'm Hinata. I'm the XO, the navigator, and the pilot of the Invictus. You could say I multitask," Hinata said while smiling winningly at Kiba. The girls had all decided to distract the brothers with harmless flirting to keep the heat off Naruto.

"Uchiha Sasuke. Chief of Staff," Sasuke said curtly, acutely aware that he was as guilty of fucking their sister as Naruto was.

"I'm Tenten, the Chief Engineer. Hana tells me that you're an engineer, Akamaru," Tenten said, curling a lock of her hair.

"I'm Fu, the pilot of the Raptor! Hinata is also training me as a back-up pilot for the Invictus!" Fu chirped happily.

"I am Gaara. I operate as Comms Officer," Gaara's speech modulator said mechanically.

Kuromaru nodded. Jack came by with plates of Chicken Parmigiana in his hands. The patriarch of the Inuzuka turned to Fu and Gaara. "What species are you, if you don't mind my asking? I'm pretty sure Gaara is a Suna, but what about you Fu?"

Fu grinned at Hana's father. "I'm what's known as a Taki. You may recognize my kind by the nickname 'Nymph'."

Kiba gaped. "A Nymph! You mean the living blow up dolls?"

"Kiba! How dare you!" Jack exclaimed, slapping Kiba across the back of his head. The Konoha Federation pilot hunched his shoulders in shame. Jack turned to Fu. "You have to forgive my brainless son. He was born without a filter."

"I don't mind. That's a crude but accurate description of my race. I've heard far worse over the centuries," Fu said with a smile.

The Inuzuka men all gaped. "Centuries?" Akamaru said in a faint voice.

"Taki are unaging. Jade here is older than the Konoha Federation. By a significant margin, at that," Naruto revealed.

Kuromaru blinked. "What I would give to have a look at her telomeres. Fu, I don't suppose you'd be willing to give me a DNA sample after dinner?"

"I'm afraid my genome is classified by order of Commander Uzumaki. Sorry!" Fu chirped.

Jack gathered himself and went to get two more plates. "No more talk about Fu as if she were a medical marvel, even if she is. Let's focus back on Hana-banana."

Akamaru adjusted his glasses. "Sure. Let's discuss how you went from worrying about a court-martial to working for one of the Consultants."

"How did you know about that?" Hana demanded.

"He's officially listed as a civilian yet you got involved with those Nuke and pirates. I did the math. Mom mentioned them when she was drunk once."

"Ah, Tsume. She can drink like a fish but she's worse than Kiba once it hits," Jack said, setting a plate in front of Hana and stroking her hair.

"Everything smells delicious, Jack," Naruto complimented like a good guest. And he wasn't brown-nosing. The Chicken Parm smelled divine. Naruto's enhanced senses could tell the meal was organic and unprocessed.

"Wait till you taste it," Jack said with a grin, stroking Naruto's hair the same way he had Hana's. Naruto was strongly reminded of his grandma.

They all paused the conversation to tuck in. Gaara had denied his portion, claiming his species's diet to Jack apologetically. Once they'd all but licked their plates, the crew volunteered to wash the dishes, leaving Naruto and Hana alone with the Inuzuka men.

"We'll save the real grilling for tomorrow when Hana's mother comes in. Just know that her bed is very squeaky and I'm a light sleeper," Jack said, wagging a finger under Naruto's nose.

"Dad!" Hana cried out blushing, while her brothers looked decidedly green. Naruto alone kept his composure, nodding solemnly.

"Of course, Jack. We can behave ourselves for the next day."

*Can, doesn't mean we will,* Hana vowed through their mental link.

"So, back to my question: how did you end up on the Invictus?" Akamaru asked, moving his glasses up to rest on his forehead. With them out of the way, he looked identical to Kiba down to the clan marks.

"Well, the short version is Naruto yelled at my old CO that had been threatening me, who turned out to be a traitor by the way. I ended up on an indefinite leave of absence and joined the Pack on the Invictus. Didn't stop me from being promoted or winning a Nova Burst," Hana said nonchalantly.

Kiba gaped. "What? The squirt outranks me now?"

"How's that feel, 'Second' Lieutenant Inuzuka?" Hana teased her youngest brother.

Kuromaru noted another detail entirely. "Pack?"

"I consider the wolf my spirit animal. I see myself as the 'Alpha' of my crew and my crew as my Pack," Naruto explained as the rest of his crew sat back down.

"He has a necklace he never takes off of a wolf howling. He's really into the metaphor," Tenten added.

"Every crew has a mascot. We just take ours more seriously than most," Sasuke defended.

"I can try to change into a wolf next time, but I prefer the tiger," Fu said, licking her hand and wiping her hair in a cat-like motion.

The brothers turned to look at her. "What does she mean?" Kiba asked, aware he was on thin ice when it came to the Nymph.

Fu glanced at Hinata and, receiving a nod, shimmered into a copy of the bluenette.

Kuromaru gaped. "Oh, wow! Your bone structure, your skin, your hair, everything changed. Now I REALLY want a DNA sample."

"Still no. But anyway, Taki can naturally shapeshift. I just expanded and trained my ability," she said in Hinata's voice before shimmering back.

"Anyone feel like poker?" Akamaru asked, searching for something else to do.

"Strip poker maybe," Kiba muttered

"Kiba, that's three strikes. Go to your room until breakfast. Go on, get!" Jack said, snapping his fingers.

"I'm 21, not 12," Kiba muttered tersely as he got up and went up the stairs.

Naruto blinked. "If they are wild dogs, you have them well-trained. What's your secret?"

Jack got a conspiratorial grin on his face. "Simple. I'm the 'fun' one, they feel more guilty disobeying me."

"So very effective," Kuromaru mused.

"When does Mom get home tomorrow?" Hana asked, moving on.

"She promised by tonight, but she was delayed by some emergency meeting," Jack mused.

"Where is the Damocles normally stationed?" Hinata asked, curious.

Jack got a sick expression like there were stones in his gut. "Patrolling the Dragon March. I thank God every day she isn't attacked by the Kumo."

"Okay, mood alert. Let's get that poker game started!" Tenten cheered.

They found a deck of cards and played Texas Hold 'Em. Having X-Ray Vision took all the guesswork out of the game. Then they transitioned to Blackjack and the Pack proved quite capable of counting cards.

"We should have played Bridge, then I might have had a chance of winning," Akamaru grumbled as Gaara won another hand.

Jack shrugged. "We all got to spend an evening together, that's what matters. Everyone to bed, it's almost 2200. Naruto, you're with Hana, and remember about the bedsprings. Sasuke and Gaara, you can share the first guest bedroom. Tenten and Hinata, you can share the second. Fu, I'm sorry but all we can offer is the couch."

"I've slept in metal cells in chains without even a pillow. The couch will be lovely," Fu said without a trace of sarcasm.

Jack's heart seemed to break a little but he moved on.

They all went to their assigned rooms. They all stripped down to underwear and laid their formal clothes out to wear again tomorrow. Naruto and Hana made use of a Silence field to thoroughly break in Hana's childhood bed. Naruto's heavy thrusts almost broke the bedframe. Unloading down her throat, Naruto cupped Hana's bloated belly as they drifted off to sleep after warding themselves.

* * *

Next morning, the Inuzuka men were awoken by the smell of a delicious breakfast cooking. The triplets eagerly came down the staircase to the kitchen, only to gape when they saw their dad sipping coffee at the kitchen bar and Naruto and Hana working together to cook.

"How's everyone like their eggs?" Naruto asked genially.

"We're a scrambled family through and through," Hana said, piercing the eggs in a bowl with a fork before whisking them.

"Mostly because I never learned another way to make them," Jack said humorously. "I can't believe you taught my Hana-banana how to cook! She never wanted to learn growing up."

"I changed my mind. I like spending time in the kitchen with Naruto," Hana explained, pouring the dozen eggs into a large pan for the first batch.

Kiba picked his jaw up off the floor. He turned to Naruto. "It still makes me sick to think about, but my God you must be good in bed. Hana in the kitchen? Is this the Twilight Zone?"

Hana swiftly smacked Kiba on the forehead with a wooden spoon. "If you must know, he's a freaking porn star. Now shut up and get out of my kitchen!"

"I'm ashamed to be your twin," Akamaru egged Kiba as the triplets sat down at the table.

The rest of the Pack came down and the girls took up their self-assigned tasks of distracting the Inuzuka brothers. Hinata went for Kiba, bonding over piloting a Konoha Cruiser. Tenten and Akamaru talked shop about plasma conduits and power couplings. And Fu chatted amiably with Kuromaru, who was fascinated by her species. Sasuke and Gaara both kept to themselves, Sasuke fearing for his castration if the truth came out and Gaara preferring silence to using his speech modulator.

They tucked in to a full English breakfast prepared lovingly by Naruto and Hana. The Inuzuka men all gave ringing endorsements. Afterwards, everyone retreated outdoors but for Naruto, Hana, and Jack.

"I've never seen you try so hard to impress us with a boyfriend," Jack commented over his second cup of coffee. "He must be a keeper."

Hana blushed, but she took Naruto's hand and pulled it into her lap. "I'm crazy about him, dad. I just want you all to love him the way I love him."

"Well, not exactly like you do," Jack said with a quirked grin, but he got a serious expression. "Hana-banana, why don't you join your brothers outside? I'd like to have a talk with Naruto."

Hana sighed, gave Naruto a chaste peck, and walked out into the expansive backyard. Naruto girded himself, straightening his tie as Jack set down his coffee cup.

"So," Jack said amiably, "let's get the obvious out of the way."

"I don't follow," Naruto said, confused.

"You're sleeping with Hinata and Fu as well. I need some more time to see your dynamic, but probably Tenten, Sasuke, and even Gaara as well."

Naruto felt a surge of fear but he pushed through it with the aid of long practice. "What gave it away?"

"It started when Fu turned into Hinata last night. I know what Nymphs are known for. If Hinata is your ideal woman, of course you'd be together. And if Fu imprinted on you, safe money that you're screwing her too. And as for the rest of your crew… you're all like magnets. You move, they move. It's like they're all waiting for the chance to jump in front of a bullet for you," Jack described succinctly.

Naruto rubbed the back of his head. "In my defence, my race is polyamorous. It's built into my genes. And Hana was fully informed about the situation when she joined my crew."

"Oh, I don't doubt you're in love with my Hana-banana. My concern is how she can possibly be fulfilled sharing you with five other people. Or how she can ever settle down or have a family when involved in this cluster," Jack said, not unkindly.

Naruto sighed. "Without going into lurid details, it's more we all share each other with each other. Hana is fulfilled by more than just me. Even when I can't give her individual attention, one of the others can."

Jack blinked before blushing. "Oh. Oh dear. She really is her mother's daughter."

"Beg pardon?" Naruto asked.

Jack waved a hand. "My wife had a life before settling down with me. Let's just say she had a… reputation aboard the Damocles."

Naruto nodded, unsure what to say. "I'm aware our relationship is unconventional. But we're all in love with each other. I know we'll not have a traditional marriage, but I fully intend to make Hana one of my wives someday. And I know it would mean the world to Hana if you all were there "

Jack raised a brow. "Are you asking for my blessing already?"

"No. Right now I'm begging you not to tell this to the rest of your family. Hana really wants this visit to go well," Naruto pleaded.

"Oh, my lips are sealed. I would never do that to Hana. But know this, Uzumaki Naruto: you may have my tentative approval, but Tsume is the one you have to win over." With that, Jack stood up and walked outdoors.

Naruto sighed. *That was close,* he told the Pack, who'd been following along the whole conversation.

*Other than learning my mom was the ship slut, I think that went rather well,* Hana projected.

*Could have gone a lot worse,* Hinata offered.

The rest of the Pack offered their own opinions, Naruto listening to them simultaneously with the mental flexibility that came to psychic adepts. Deciding to make himself useful, Naruto prepared a picnic lunch to bring outside. *He won't rat us out, that's the important part. And he kind of likes me. That's my takeaway.*

The Inuzuka's and the Pack enjoyed the outdoors, going for walks and playing games and scarfing down the lunch that Naruto brought in an actual basket he'd found. At around 1500, a dropship flew over and began to touch down next to the Raptor.

"Mom's here!" Kuromaru announced, stating the obvious.

A woman of 6'3 with Hana's former pale skin and Kiba and Akamaru's features hopped out, dressed in naval officer uniform. She turned to wave at the dropship, then turned to her family as the Konoha Federation vessel flew off.

"Captain Inuzuka reporting for duty!" She called in a strong alto, holding her arms out wide.

The family rushed at her. Jack got there first, jumping up to give his taller wife a kiss, followed by the three elder brothers who welcomed her home with a hug and big enthusiastic grins. Finally Hana stepped up to meet her, and she wrapped her in her arms protectively.

"Hana! It's wonderful you were able to make it home," she exclaimed, with delight. "We were all so worried about you!"

She looked up at her with a big beaming smile on her face, and hugged her back fiercely. "I missed you too, Mom!" she said happily.

Her mother looked up, finally noticing Naruto and the crew, who were standing nearby and watching Hana's touching family reunion. Hana noticed her mother's shift in focus, and moved from his side to introduce her friends.

"Mom, this is Commander Uzumaki Naruto, and my shipmates: Hinata, Sasuke, Tenten, Fu, and Gaara," she said formally.

"And this is my mom, Captain Inuzuka Tsume," she said proudly.

"Pleased to meet you Captain," Naruto said, striding over to shake her hand.

"Likewise, Commander," Tsume said, studying him appraisingly and matching Naruto's firm handshake. "I believe I have you to thank for rescuing my daughter."

"Hinata was there too," Hana interjected, smiling warmly at her bluenette companion.

"Well, thank you both so much," Tsume said earnestly. "It was such a relief to hear that Hana was safe and sound again."

Looking up at his potential mother-in-law, Naruto smiled winningly. "It was our pleasure. Hana is a wonderful young woman. We're very lucky to have her on our crew"

Tsume smiled ferally at Naruto. "I understand you're now dating my daughter."

"Mom," Hana protested, blushing.

"Yes, I am," Naruto said, seemingly unafraid.

"Well, here in the Inuzuka household, we have a tradition when we're all together on shore leave. We work up an appetite for dinner with a little 'friendly' sparring."

Hana perked up. Naruto shared a grin with her before facing Tsume and the triplets, who had gathered around her, eyeing Naruto like he was a meal. "I'd be happy to. But first you have to beat my student. If you can't beat her, there's no point facing me."

Jack raised a hand to his mouth. The others were a bit slower on the uptake, until Hana began to shadow-box to warm up.

"Seriously? You expect us to fight the squirt?" Kiba demanded.

Naruto shrugged. "Like I said, if you can't beat her you've got no chance with me."

Tsume was taken aback but she nodded. "Very well. Let's all get changed and meet in the dojo."

Hana and Naruto went into the Raptor to grab a change of clothes from the cabin where they'd left their sparring uniforms for just such an occasion. Then Hana led the crew into the house and to the home gym in the converted garage. A window let in the afternoon light, illuminating a floor covered in training mats. Tsume and her son's were already there, dressed in gis and waiting. Jack was sat on a long metal bench to the side.

Tsume took one look at her daughter, more importantly her sports bra, and dropped her jaw. "Young lady, did you get implants?" She demanded in a very paternal tone. She and her husband really had reversed gender roles.

"Just had my last growth spurt is all. All natural, I promise," Hana said, doing some simple stretches. "So, whose ass am I kicking first?"

"Cheeky. I think the Commander's been a bad influence on you," Akamaru said, handing his glasses to Kiba before taking his stance.

Hana noted it was a textbook standard K-Fed stance, no alteration. This would be easy. Hana decided to conceal her skill by taking the same stance.

Tsume looked between the two before raising her hand. "Ready? Fight!" She shouted, throwing her hand down.

Akamaru moved to do a simple jab. Hana surprised him by grabbing his hand and twisting it into a lock. Not finished, Hana jumped and locked Akamaru's neck between her calves. She rode her brother down as he overbalanced, ending with her pining him and choking him against the surface of the mat.

Tsume blinked but raised her arm. "Win!" She called.

Hana released Akamaru, who gasped for breath. The crew all clapped and cheered from the sidelines. The engineer stood up and rubbed his neck. "What was that for?" he asked.

"Years upon years of benign neglect for the simple fact I was a girl. Imagine how good I'd be if I'd started out when you guys did?" Hana questioned.

Naruto nodded proudly. "Good reflexes, Hana."

Kiba stepped forward, tapping his twin on the shoulder. "Don't worry, man, I'll put her in her place!"

Hana raised a brow. She took her actual Special Forces stance and waited. Tsume raised her hand and declared the start of the fight. Kiba proved not to be a total idiot and didn't go charging in like a bull. Hana waited him out though, expertly avoiding being backed into a corner with footwork. Finally tired of chasing his sister around the room, Kiba went on the offensive. What followed was a blurring exchange of blows that ended with Hana sweeping Kiba off his feet and holding him down and miming a punch to his throat.

"Win!" Tsume called out.

Hana held out a hand to pull her brother up to his feet. He reluctantly took it, muttering "You had to make me look bad in front of the hot navigator."

"She and Tenten are VERY close, I'm not sure your chances were good to start with," Hana whispered to him.

Kiba spontaneously developed a nosebleed.

Kuromaru stepped forward, clearly the first to take his little sister seriously. He got into what Naruto recognized as the Medic version of the K-Fed stance. It emphasized dodging and blocks with surgically precise counters. And Kuromaru carried himself like a master, he'd probably practised the most out of the triplets.

"Ready? Fight!" Tsume called.

What followed was more a choreographed dance than a fight. Hana moved with deadly grace, an Amazon made flesh. Kuromaru moved more like an assassin than a doctor, knowing the name of every bone he intended to break. They went back and forth with a series of exchanges, each gaining the upper hand for a moment before losing it. When it had gone ten minutes and they were soaked with sweat, Tsume raised her hand. "Draw! Well done, you two," she said with maternal pride.

Kuromaru smiled at Hana and performed a low bow, showing his respect. She bowed in return, and then he wrapped her in a big hug, a wide smile on his face. "You were amazing Hana!" he said appreciatively, and she grinned back at him, grateful for his warm praise.

Naruto rose and strode down to the mats. Hana turned and ran into his arms, where he picked her up easily, and swirled her in the air. "You were incredible honey, I'm so proud of you!" he told her as she laughed delightedly, and wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug. Naruto put her back down on the ground, and she beamed up at him, her beautiful face radiantly happy.

"What now?" Kiba asked, unsure how to proceed after the draw.

"Now Naruto and I fight," Tsume said calmly, stepping onto the mats.

"You're in trouble now Naruto, no one beats our mom!" Akamaru said teasingly with a grin.

The two fighters squared off against one another, and bowed respectfully. With a slight nod from Tsume the match had begun, and they moved cautiously towards one another. Naruto had been practicing martial arts for over twenty years now, and he immediately recognised another master simply by the way Tsume moved to engage. There was a quiet confidence in the woman, a sureness of foot and perfection of balance that spoke of her many years of experience.

*If I beat her, would I win or lose points with your brothers?* Naruto asked Hana mentally.

*Could go either way. Personally, I'd lose the battle to win the war, become united in your inability to topple the queen,* his Tactical Officer analyzed.

*I'll fight like a Konoha and see what happens,* Naruto decided, before going for the first blow.

If the last match had been a dance, this one was a battle. Naruto and Tsume were ruthless, attacking for any weak point they could find. Tsume had longer reach, while Naruto had faster reflexes. Naruto had more upper body strength, but Tsume had killer legs. They didn't reach the point of spilling blood or breaking bones, but they both would be walking away with bruises. Finally, Tsume managed outmaneuver Naruto and get him in a headlock. Naruto jumped and fell on his back, but Tsume held on. Naruto struggled for a bit before tapping the mat, signaling his surrender.

"Win!" Kuromaru called out, having officiated the match. He came up to Naruto along with his brothers. "I've never seen someone challenge mom like that! You know your stuff!"

"I didn't even recognize some of those moves! Where'd you learn them?" Akamaru gushed, starstruck at meeting someone strong enough to give his mother pause.

"Dude, can I be your student? I'll apply for a transfer and everything!" Kiba yelled over his brothers, looking half scared half eager.

Tsume dusted herself off. "What am I, chopped liver?"

"Good fight, Mom," the triplets said in unison before turning back to Naruto.

Jack came up to his wife and gave her a congratulatory kiss. "You did great, Captain Inuzuka," he said in a tone he really shouldn't use in earshot of his children. He said her title like it was a pet name.

Hana shouldered her brothers out of the way to give Naruto a kiss. They all made sick expressions but didn't raise a fuss. Hana pulled back and grinned. "You did brilliantly, Naruto. Now, we should get showered up and start on dinner."

"Actually, I want to speak to Naruto alone," Tsume said. "You all go ahead."

Soon, the dojo was empty but for Naruto and Tsume. "What did you want to talk about?" Naruto asked, a bit of trepidation in his voice. This might be the interview with the parent of the girl he was fucking repeatedly.

Tsume cracked her neck. "Fight me again. And don't hold back this time."

Naruto rose a brow, impressed that she'd noticed. "If you insist," he said, taking his stance.

"Fight!" Tsume shouted. And precisely 2.38 seconds later, she was flat on her back with a hand on her throat that wasn't going away.

Naruto let go and stood, offering Tsume a hand up. Rubbing her throat, Tsume accepted the help. "What are you, a cyborg?" Tsume demanded.

Naruto tapped his ears. "I'm not Konoha. My race are psychics that can speed up and increase our strength."

Tsume frowned. "I pulled your file. They mentioned the ears and… other differences, but nothing about psychic powers."

"They were dormant until certain conditions were met. I've only had them since March." Naruto shrugged. "I figured I'd fight you on even footing rather than cheat with my powers. You won fair and square."

"Did I now?" Tsume questioned good naturedly. "Good to know that my Hana-banana has a strong bodyguard. But there was another reason you threw the match, isn't there?"

"Your children worship you. They see you as invincible. The last thing they needed to see was me one-shoting you," Naruto explained.

"In any case, that's a fight I won't soon forget. I saw Iwa, Kumo, AND Oto moves in there. You've been around, haven't you?"

"Yes, I have. Speaking of the fight…" Naruto trailed off before waving a hand at Tsume and sending a wave of Psychic Healing.

Tsume blinked, and then looked down her gi. "My bruises are gone!"

"Psychic, remember? Consider it a consolation prize for losing," Naruto said with a grin.

Tsume regarded him with an unreadable expression before bursting into laughter. "I like you, kid! Let's go shower up. And did I hear that you and Hana will be making dinner?"

"I'm just trying to be a good guest for my hosts," Naruto said while walking out the dojo.

"If you manage to cook a better paella than Jack, I'll adopt you," Tsume said jokingly. "Speaking of, what kind of family do you have?"

Naruto swallowed past the lump in his throat. "Never knew my mom and dad. Grandparents died last year. It's just me."

"My condolences," Tsume said, laying a hand on his shoulder.

Naruto nodded and didn't shrug it off. "I was very lonely for a while. But I consider my crew my family. I love every one of them."

"Hopefully not the same way you love my daughter," Tsume laughed.

Naruto just smiled and nodded.

They both retreated to their respective showers, and then went downstairs to the kitchen. Naruto slid easily into the kitchen, Hana taking pride of place next to him. The Inuzuka family chatted with the Pack while Naruto and Hana made the best paella they could. Naruto took a brief break to cook an appetizer of calamari, to universal delight from the hungry crowd.

The dozen of them ended up seated around the table, spooning the mix of rice, chicken, and seafood onto their plates. The Inuzuka on active duty all moaned aloud at the first bite. Jack's eyes lit up and he gave a silent nod to the chefs, acknowledging he'd been beaten.

"Dear, I'm sorry, but this is the best paella I've had in my life!" Tsume said around her second mouthful.

"Naruto's grandparents owned a restaurant on Konoha. He was raised around food and cooking," Hana said proudly, glad that her family appreciated one of Naruto's talents.

"I couldn't have done it without my faithful sous chef," Naruto said self deprecatingly.

Gaara projected silently to him *May we please leave soon? I have not eaten in over a day, we did not pack Suna provisions.*

Naruto gasped and felt like a total schmuck. *Gaara, I completely forgot! I'm so very sorry. You'll get a double dose tonight, we'll leave right after dinner.*

*I'll survive a few more hours. Let Hana enjoy time with her family,* Gaara said valiantly, but Naruto could have sworn he heard a gurgle from the Grey's direction.

They finished dinner and Jack dug out a few old-fashioned board games. Naruto was about to join in the fun when Tsume tapped his shoulder. "Feel like a beer in the garden?"

"Alright," Naruto agreed. Tsume handed him a cold one and they walked outside to the pagoda set up in the yard. They sat down on the built-in bench and sipped their lagers. Naruto held out the bottle and admired it. "This is good stuff!"

"It's brewed locally. Supposedly it's down to the minerals in the water from the mountain springs. I don't know if I believe that but it's damn good beer!" Tsume said, taking another sip. "So, what's it like being a Consultant?"

Naruto took a swig and considered the question. "It's the shit, honestly. In charge of my own ship, no ornery ship captain to tiptoe around. Able to recruit who I want, able to explore the galaxy. We just went to Suna because we felt like it. Ended up in a mix-up with Kusa raiders, but it was fun."

"The Kusa? What were they doing in Grey space?!" Tsume demanded.

Naruto shrugged and gave a highly edited version of their adventure that didn't mention the Uzu. "Now we're headed for the Oto."

"Hoping to get some Laser tech? I wouldn't bother, R&D has tried everything, including trillion ryo deals," Tsume advised.

"Our lasers are just fine, Tenten recently upgraded them," Naruto said lightly. "Before that though, we're headed for the Dragon March to pick up a potential Medic."

Tsume choked on her latest sip. "The Dragon March!?" There was real fear in Tsume's eyes.

"That was the plan, is that a problem?" Naruto replied, suddenly alert.

Tsume paused, and looked down as she was mulling something over, before she finally raised her eyes to stare at Naruto. "I can't go into detail, it's all at Ultra level clearance, but the Dragon March is a very dangerous place to go right now. I honestly like you, but the only reason I'm telling you this, is because you have my daughter on your ship," Tsume said, his voice ringing with concern.

"Thanks for the warning," Naruto said, "We'll be very careful."

Tsume looked like she was going to say more, when Jack stepped outside onto the patio and called them back to the house.

"Thanks for the beer," Naruto said as he stood.

"You're welcome," Tsume replied, but she seemed a little distracted.

They reentered the house and found the Inuzuka brothers ogling Hinata, Tenten, Fu, and Hana playing Twister. The girls bent into quite interesting shapes. They had formed a human or rather an Uzu knot on the playing mat. Gaara was faithfully spinning the board needle, Sasuke joining the brothers in admiring the female contortionist act.

Jack turned to regard Naruto and sighed. "I know that look. It's time for you all to ship out, isn't it?"

The boys sat up while the girls detangled themselves. "You're leaving already?" Akamaru asked forlornly.

Naruto shrugged. "We have an appointment tomorrow evening. We need to head out now."

Tsume furrowed her brows. "I thought you said you were going to the Dragon March. That's five days away."

"Naruto purchased the most powerful examples of my kind's Power Core and Tachyon Drive technology. We can reach Port Medea within 24 hours at our best speed," Gaara supplied helpfully.

Kiba gaped "That's… that's five times faster than the best K-Fed drive!"

"It's a real rush to pilot the course and see the systems fly by," Hinata told him with a smile. "It was a pleasure meeting you all."

"I had a lot of fun!" Fu chirped, giving Kuromaru a kiss on the cheek and sending him into a tizzy.

"Charmed," Sasuke said succinctly.

"I also had a pleasant time," Gaara reported.

Tenten gave Akamaru a hug. "I'll get back to you about that equation that's bugging you."

Hana had a hug with each member of her family. Jack kissed her forehead and said "We love you, Hana-banana. You'll always have a home here." He then whispered something into her ear. Hana blushed but nodded.

Tsume lifted Hana up like she was a doll. "My precious girl… be smart, be safe."

"I will, Mom," Hana promised.

They walked out and into the Raptor, the Inuzuka family waving them goodbye. Fu expertly lifted then into the air and made it for the spaceport where they'd left the Invictus.

"What did your dad whisper to you?" Tenten asked curiously.

Hana giggled. "That I should hold on to this one. And that he expected none of his grandchildren to be bastards."

"How do you feel about both of those?" Naruto asked hopefully.

Hana jumped him and gave him the kind of kiss she couldn't in front of her family. "I'd marry you tonight if I could. That answer your question?"

Naruto grinned and kissed her back.

* * *

**Sakura and the Dragon March next. Please fave, follow, or review.**


	28. Chapter 28

**Happy Friday, I suppose. Please enjoy!**

* * *

They docked the Raptor in the Invictus. Within the hour, the Assault Cruiser had left Jericho and Epsilon Eridani behind, shifting into hyperwarp after leaving the gravity well.

"18 hours, so dinner time tommorow." Hinata hopped off her XO Chair. She looked at the gravid form of Gaara, who looked like a beach ball with a head, arms, and legs attached. "You enjoy your double dose after starving for a day? Again, we're all sorry for forgetting that."

*I am… quite content,* he whispered rapturously. *I can literally FEEL my mind expanding. How can any of you function with a belly full of Naruto's cum?*

"You get used to it," Hinata said with a grin.

"I relate to that. I feel practically drunk when Naruto fills my tummy," Fu said happily.

"It feels like you're the center of the universe," Tenten said wistfully, eyeing Gaara appreciatively.

"Like he's filled you with light and love and hope," Hana mused poetically.

"And getting it there is a treat in itself," Sasuke grinned.

"Happy to do it for you, ladies and gents," Naruto said from the Command Chair. "Now let's go to bed. I had trouble sleeping last night with only one person in bed with me… wow, I'm spoiled."

They all chuckled. "Wait until we start providing you with heirs. All of us Thralls and your kids running up to hug you when you come home," Hinata said longingly.

"Come home? I'll never want to leave!" Naruto exclaimed.

They all went to sleep in a naked pile on the bed, thoughts and fantasies of their domestic future in their heads.

They all woke up around 0400 by a nightmare in their collective psyche. Everyone sat up, looking at each other to determine the source. The guilty expression on Tenten's face was telling.

"What's bothering you, honey?" Naruto asked, wrapping her in a hug.

"I don't want to say it," she muttered.

"Why not, dear?" Sasuke asked, leaning into her side.

"You'll think I'm a horrible person," Tenten insisted.

"Tenten, we all love you. Anything you say, we'll forgive you," Hinata countered, snuggling into the group hug growing around her teenage companion.

"I… I'm just so 'jealous'," Tenten hissed.

"Of what?" Hana asked.

Tenten seemed to explode. "Of you! You had the perfect life! Perfect house, perfect parents, perfect siblings! You had EVERYTHING and I was abandoned! I was left at an orphanage with nothing but a blanket and a note with my name on it! And it's just. Not. Fair!" She huffed for breath afterwards, before seeming to collapse in on herself. "It's just not fair," she sobbed.

They all looked at each other askance. As always, Naruto took charge. "You may not have had a family growing up. But you have one now," he assured, tightening his grip and flooding the Pack mind with love and acceptance.

The others followed suit, suffusing Tenten in an all-encompassing blanket of affection. Her crying subsided, until she found herself lying in Naruto's arms with a serene smile on her face.

*We love you. We care for you. We will never let you go,* the Pack thought in unison.

*I know.* Tenten closed her eyes and slid back into sleep. The others rearranged themselves around her and did the same, Gaara feeling the odd one out for not joining in on the moment. But sadly, he wasn't Pack yet, not really. But in time, he would be.

They woke up four hours later to the lights slowly turning on, their alternative to a noisy alarm. Everyone checked on Tenten, who assured them that she was fine. "Really guys, last night was wonderful. I really feel like my abandonment issues have been put to rest. I just want to spend the day in my Engineering Bay working on our new robotic overlord, okay?"

They all reluctantly took her word for it, sensing nothing but sincerity from her thoughts.

Naruto made them all breakfast and then went up to the Bridge along with Gaara and Hinata. They had a couple calls to make. Hana and Sasuke decided that a sparring match to cover the mistakes she'd made yesterday against her brothers was in order. Fu wanted to spend time in the pool.

Naruto and Hinata took their Chairs while Gaara waddled to his Comms Station, his belly round with the load he'd coaxed from Naruto that morning. He was now the same height Hana had been when she'd just joined the crew. He had growths on the side of his head that would turn into ears in a few more days, and his head was covered with red bristles. His flowing white robes now came to just below his knees, looking like a dress or long shirt. He was actually more ugly than when he'd started, but three more days of meals would see him a handsome, albeit grey-skinned black-eyed, Beta Uzu.

"Call Sakura first. Hopefully she's not on call," Naruto requested.

*Calling the pink-haired healer,* Gaara thought, selecting the option from a list of call history numbers.

They took decidedly less time to connect to Port Medea, having crossed half the distance between them already. The holo-image of Sakura appeared, wearing a white coat.

"Hinata! Naruto! You just caught me on my way out the door," the medic said.

Naruto smiled at the woman who might be his wife one day. "We won't keep you long. We're just calling to tell you we'll be there by 1800, give or take."

Sakura's eyes lit up with excitement. "I'm on duty from 1000 to 2000. If you wait a couple hours, we can all have the interview over dinner!"

"About time we had it! And you can meet the rest of the crew!" Hinata cheered. "Enjoy your shift, or is that the wrong sentiment?" She asked.

"No, 'enjoy' works as well as anything. See you tonight!" With that, Sakura ended the call.

"Now for Shino," Naruto instructed his Grey Pack member.

The image of Vice Admiral Aburame Shino filled the viewscreen, and the older man's face was lined with worry since they last spoke to him.

"It's great to hear from you Naruto, but it's not a good time. What do you need?" he asked bluntly.

"I'm looking to recruit a Medical Officer. She's fresh out of medical school, so not a huge loss to the Navy. I was hoping you could green-light a transfer under my command?" he asked succinctly.

An amused grin formed on Shino's face and then he laughed good naturedly. "Going by the rest of your crew, I can only imagine what she looks like. You're going to wreck fleet morale if you keep headhunting all the pretty girls from the Navy. What's her name? I'll authorize it immediately."

"Her name's Haruno Sakura, based on Port Medea," Hinata interjected helpfully. "And hi, Shino!" she added happily.

"Hello Hinata," Shino replied to the beautiful girl, with a bemused smile on his face. "I'll put the transfer through right now."

"Wait a minute!" he gasped suddenly, looking at them in alarm. "Port Medea! Naruto, you're not heading into the Dragon March are you?"

"Is that a problem?" Naruto asked archly.

Shino was about to say something, and then clenched his jaw tightly shut. He turned and entered a few quick commands on his desk console before turning back to them. "I've authorized a permanent transfer awaiting your confirmation, but you need to promise me you'll get in and out as fast as you can. Don't hang around, Naruto..." he warned his old friend soberly.

"Thanks Shino, I appreciate it, and the warning," Naruto replied, and nodded to the older man respectfully.

"Be careful," Shino said, his worried face disappearing from the screen as he hit the button to end the call.

"Well, that didn't sound good," Hinata said somberly.

"The K-Fed must have gotten intel on an upcoming attack, that's the only reason that could explain why everyone above my rank is so jumpy," Naruto deduced.

*Is it wise, then, to go charging in? As you once said, we're just one Assault Cruiser,* Gaara worried.

"We're halfway to Uzu grade weaponry after the refit, we're deadly as a Battleship now and twice as maneuverable. We can handle any Kumo force small enough to slip past the border," Naruto said confidently. "All the same, I'll feel better if everyone stayed on the Bridge after lunch."

Naruto and Hinata spent a few hours playing Space Chess, Hinata naturally kicking his butt. Gaara proved a better opponent, in fact turning out to be a bit of a chess prodigy. Only partially enhanced, he still managed to checkmate Hinata with a couple bishops and a single pawn.

"I… lost," Hinata said faintly. She shrugged and grinned wickedly. "Guess this means I owe you a blowjob, Gaara!"

*Oh, no, you don't have to…* Gaara was silenced by Hinata wrapping her mouth around his noticeably larger erection.

*Our women LIKE to service us, Gaara. Take what you can get and be thankful for it,* Naruto advised, watching his Matriarch pleasure his Thrall with approval.

When they were done, Naruto fed Gaara an early lunch. Then the three of them made for the Kitchen to prepare a nice meal for the crew, and possibly fuel them for a conflict.

The crew gathered at noon on the dot, enjoying the steak lunch that Naruto and Hinata had cooked. Naruto explained to them his concerns about the Dragon March and his desire for everyone to stay on the Bridge. Everyone but Tenten agreed at first, and the Chief Engineer acquiesced after an argument about how vital she'd be in a ship-to-ship battle.

"Fine. But this is going to delay the Mainframe by half a day!" She groused.

"That is not a problem," Sasuke grumbled, still paranoid about AI.

They all went up to the Bridge. Just in time, too. The intercom light was blinking.

*We have a high priority call coming in from the Konoha Federation Navy,* Gaara informed them.

"Thanks Gaara, put me through please," he told the Grey, and he accepted the incoming transmission. The view-screen crackled to life on the Bridge, and the face of a stern man in a Konoha Federation Navy uniform filled the image.

"This is Captain Maddox on the Medusa," he said in a firm voice. "You will soon be approaching the Dragon March. Please state your purpose and destination."

"This is Commander Uzumaki on the Invictus," Naruto replied. "We're visiting Port Medea, to conduct a crew transfer."

Captain Maddox's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Our sensors show your vessel is heavily modified from the standard Assault Cruiser specifications. You may continue on your present course while we verify your story, but prepare to be boarded and searched if it doesn't check out." he said ominously before closing the comm channel.

"Things must be a lot worse than I thought if they've set up picket ships to keep everyone out," Naruto said, looking concerned.

"We're picking up the Medusa on our long range sensors," Hana informed him eagerly. "It's a Heavy Carrier!"

"Any support ships?" he asked her immediately.

"Three Heavy Cruisers, several Light Carriers and dozens of Destroyers," she gasped, as the sensor data picked up the Konoha Federation transponders.

"That's a big reserve force," Naruto muttered grimly. "Something big must be happening."

"If they've pulled that large a force in as a reserve, they must be anticipating a breakout deeper into Konoha Federation territory," Hana said speculatively.

"The Kumo must really be causing some damage," Naruto said, nodding in agreement with her assessment.

"Didn't you say the two sides were pretty balanced?" Hinata asked him curiously. "Why would it suddenly be going so badly for our side?"

"It could be a whole host of reasons; an incompetent commander in a key position on our side, a strategic genius commanding their force, some kind of tech advantage, or the Kumo Empire throwing everything they've got at us. Without knowing more details, it could be anything," Sasuke replied with a helpless shrug.

"I still say the traitor option is a possibility," Naruto muttered.

*We've got Maddox on the Medusa hailing us again,* Gaara spoke up.

"Put him through," Naruto ordered grimly, and the stern faced captain of the Heavy Carrier filled the viewscreen once more.

"You may proceed, Commander Uzumaki," Captain Maddox said grudgingly. "But we'll be keeping an eye on you."

Naruto didn't bother to respond to the impolite Captain and just ended the call, the other man's surprised face disappearing from the screen.

Hinata pressed a button displaying the sector map, which showed their current path in a green line. "We've got five hours left until we get to Port Medea," she said, as the Invictus raced across the map at incredible speed using its Tachyon Drive.

"I'm seeing nothing on the long-range scanners. There's zero civilian traffic! The Dragon March is military only at the moment," Tenten observed.

They passed a few hours with idle chatter, always keeping one eye on the sector map. At around 1500, a spot of excitement happened.

"We're picking up a large flotilla of ships on the long range scans," Hana said in alarm.

"Ours or theirs?" Naruto asked curtly.

"Just a few seconds longer," Hana said, waiting for the transponder information to be populated on the sector map. "They're friendlies!" she eventually sighed with relief, as information began to appear detailing their Konoha Federation affiliation and configurations.

"It looks like they're leaving the Dragon March," Tenten observed, noticing how quickly they were approaching the substantial convoy of vessels, which were clearly travelling to some location behind the Invictus. "But if there's lots of fighting going on, why would that many ships be leaving?"

"Alter our course slightly please Hinata, bring us in for a close flyby," Naruto requested, intending to confirm his suspicions.

Hinata dutifully made the course corrections, and the glistening white Assault Cruiser made a subtle directional shift, which would take them within a few dozen kilometers of the flotilla. They waited and watched the System Map as they raced past the departing Konoha Federation vessels, and detailed sensor information began to be displayed against each ship.

"Holy shit!" Sasuke swore vehemently, saying what they were all feeling.

"I can see why they'd be retreating," Fu said quietly, as she gazed up at the battered ships.

The flotilla was made up of dozens of battle damaged Konoha vessels, ranging in size from Corvettes, all the way up to a lone Battleship that had been brutally savaged by plasma fire. Each of the ships told a similar tale of woe, with damage ranging from moderate through to critical, and all showing the trademark scarring from plasma attacks, the weapon of choice for the Kumo Empire.

"They're getting hammered!" Hana gasped in shock. "That's nearly a quadrant fleet right there."

"And those are the survivors," Naruto muttered grimly.

"Is there anything we can do to help out?" Hana asked plaintively, as she turned in her chair and looked up at him where he sat on the command podium.

"We're good as a capital ship with the upgraded Lasers and Shields, but we're not a fleet destroyer yet. We can help out in a single exchange, but we're not crippling the Kumo Navy all on our own," Naruto patiently explained. "The Konoha Federation will just have to weather the storm."

Hana set her shoulders. "I'm going to quietly do some research on the whole conflict. If there's a traitor, I'm going to ferry them out."

"I'll help," Sasuke swore. "And I'll gut the traitor myself."

When they were approximately thirty minutes from Port Medea, Hana began to highlight sensor readings on the system maps as they tore through each system, passing the different stars along their route.

"Wreck sites," she said ominously.

"How can you tell?" Fu asked her curiously.

"I've spent hours poring over sensor readings for sites of pirate attacks, and then there were the Suna victims of the Kusa raiders. I recognise the debris patterning," she said soberly.

"Military ships?" Naruto asked her pensively.

"No, civilians I suspect, probably lone merchant vessels that were picked off by long range probing attacks," Hana said, studying the nearest solitary wreck and its sensor profile.

"Well that explains the complete lack of civilian ships around at least. It looks like everyone is giving this place a wide berth now," Naruto concluded.

The sense of anticipation rose as they closed on their destination, and it came as a relief when the Invictus finally dropped out of hyperwarp, arriving unscathed at the Iota Leonis system, home of Port Medea. Hinata displayed the System and Tactical Maps in the center of the Bridge, and the bright blue-white glow of the Class O star appeared, centered on the map. Iota Leonis had no habitable planets, but there were several gas giants orbiting the star, and according to the Tactical Map, these were heavily utilised by numerous gas mining facilities and refineries. Port Medea was a substantial Konoha Federation starport, and was in orbit around a volcanic planet in the fifth orbital path around the star.

Their relief was shattered when an alarm ran out from the long-range scanners.

"Incoming enemy force. It's the Kumo Empire!" Tenten reported, eyes flying over the data their sensors had picked up. "Blocked transponders… let me fix that." The Chief Engineer furiously typed for a few seconds, each hand operating independently of the other. "Got it! A Heavy Carrier, a Cruiser, and a few dozen Destroyers."

"How soon until they're in system?" Naruto asked, on the edge of his seat.

"At their current speed, two hours," Tenten reported.

"We have to warn Port Medea. We can turn this into an ambush!" Sasuke said excitedly.

*Shall I hail Port Medea?* Gaara asked.

Naruto sighed and wiped sweaty palms on his pants. "Go ahead. Every second we waste is a life lost in this upcoming attack."

Gaara obediently contacted the standard number for Port Medea.

"Incoming Assault Cruiser, please state your purpose at Port Medea," came the unenthusiastic response.

"Commander Uzumaki Naruto on the Invictus. We originally came here to conduct a crew transfer. But now we're here to assist in fighting off an attack by the Kumo Empire."

"Pardon me, Invictus, you're here to do what?" asked the incredulous comms officer.

"You heard me, soldier. We're sending over the data from our scanners now. Send this up the line," Naruto instructed firmly.

"Invictus, please standby," said the overwhelmed officer.

A few minutes passed before a holo-image appeared above the Bridge. A man in a Konoha Federation officer jacket with a skeptical expression.

"This is Lieutenant Commander Mortensen. Is this some kind of joke, Commander Uzumaki?" He demanded.

"I'm afraid not. The scanner data is accurate, I'd stake my life on that."

"How are you possibly picking up data from so far away? How did you get Kumo transponder codes?" Mortensen followed up.

"Our sensors are the best in the Galactic League, and my Chief Engineer is a bit of a hacker. We saw the threat when we entered the system and naturally decided to warn you," Naruto explained calmly.

Lieutenant Commander Mortensen gulped. "If you're lying, and we scramble the garrison ships and nothing happens, that's millions of ryo wasted."

"And if you don't and something does happen, that's millions of lives wasted!" Naruto fired back.

Mortensen gulped. "I'll consult the Station Commander," he finally said. Then the call cut off.

Sasuke grit his teeth. "If I had my old rank, I could order these idiots to just do as they're told."

"But you don't. So relax and hope they're not idiots," Fu comforted.

The intercom began to blink again. Mortensen appeared above them again. He looked extremely troubled. "Commander Storb says we're a go. You're to coordinate with Captain Harding on the Cruiser Hermes for the battle." Mortensen gulped. "God help you all."

There was a rush of activity from Port Medea, as the garrison ships began to launch. There was a Konoha Federation Cruiser, several Frigates, and a number of Destroyers based at Port Medea as a garrison force, along with the CAP fighters beginning to launch from Port Medea.

"They would have been equal to the Kumo force if it weren't for that Heavy Carrier. With us here, we stand a strong chance, especially if they underestimate us because of our size," Hana reasoned. "Here's just hoping this Captain Harding isn't a tactical idiot."

*Speak of the devil, that is the phrase, yes? The Hermes is hailing us,* Gaara told them telepathically.

Naruto hit the button. A man in an officer's cap and a Konoha Federation Navy uniform appeared. "Commander Uzumaki, this is Captain Harding on the Hermes. I understand we have you to thank for warning us of this raid."

"Pleasure to meet you Captain, though I wish it were under better circumstances. We just picked them up on our sensors and alerted Port Medea," Naruto understated.

Captain Harding adjusted his cap. "Are your sensors the only thing you have upgraded? I notice that you're not using Titanium plating."

"Put simply, Captain, the Invictus is an Assault Cruiser on steroids. Lots of them. Our Lasers are in the same league as the Oto, our Mass Drivers can crack a moon, our Shields are just a step below the Mizu's, we're nimble as a squirrel, and our armor is over half a dozen times stronger than Titanium. I don't feel like I'm exaggerating when I say we could take on a Battleship," Naruto listed with a straight face.

Harding's jaw had dropped. "How… just, how?"

"I'm a millionaire and I have literally the smartest woman I've ever met as my Chief Engineer. She came up with the upgrades, and I paid for them," Naruto told, a little white lie at the end to avoid drawing attention to their alliance with the Suna.

"And you're a civilian?" Harding demanded, incredulous.

"Special Ops Consultant. I'm effectively above the Chain of Command and can act independently. But we'll follow your orders since it's your home we're defending," Naruto offered graciously.

Harding had a wry smile and shook his head. "I don't think there's much I could do with you that you couldn't do better. I'm officially ordering you to give no quarter in the upcoming battle. Just don't get in our way and do whatever you want. I'm giving you a lot of trust here, Commander; don't make me a fool."

"Wouldn't dream of it. Now, let's get in formation for when the Kumo enter the system," Naruto suggested.

"Good luck and godspeed, Commander."

"To you as well, Captain."

The transmission ended.

"No quarter. Two best words in the Standard language," Hana said, rubbing her hands together.

"What's our plan of attack, Lieutenant?" Naruto asked, sitting back in his Chair.

"The clear and immediate threat is the Heavy Carrier. That thing will have hundreds of gunships and bombers onboard. If we could spear their Power Core in the first few minutes, we could take out the bulk of their force in one fell swoop. After that, the Cruiser and the Destroyers should be easy enough to pick off. We could win this conflict on our own with Uzu 0.5 tech, but luckily we have the Hermes and the other garrison troops. I say we go for a blitzkrieg against the Heavy Carrier and then help the Port Medea forces mop up the mess," Hana strategized.

Fu sat up. "Should I go out in the Raptor? I could help take out the Destroyers!"

Naruto looked askance at Hana. His Tactical Officer shrugged. "The Raptor is as good as a Destroyer after the refit, with much better shields. She could pick off one or two without getting in any real danger," she hypothesized.

Naruto sighed. "Alright, Fu, get out there. But I want your word to keep safe. The instant your shields get below 10%, I ORDER you to cut and run. Understood?"

"Yes master," she replied, falling into old habits. She grinned and gave him a kiss before dashing for the anti-grav tubes. A few short minutes later, the Raptor pulled away from the Invictus and took position alongside them, like a baby animal following its mother. The two ships stood out with their glittering white hulls compared to the Titanium grey of the Konoha Federation vessels.

"And now we wait. This was always the worst part for me," Sasuke sighed, as Tenten helpfully put up a clock for the estimated time of the Kumo force arriving at Iota Leonis.

"You're telling me. And I was in the Marine transport, no idea what was happening," Naruto agreed.

They passed a very tense 90 minutes in silence, occasionally trying to spark conversation but ultimately failing. Fu kept them slightly entertained by pulling off some aerial acrobatics near and around the ship. The last 60 seconds is when they all really tensed. Hinata pulled them in close to the edge of the system, anticipating where the Kumo ships would appear.

Accurate to the second, the raiders from the Kumo Empire arrived in the system. Their angular ships glimmered with a pearlescent green, matching the green fire of their Plasma weaponry. There was a moment of stunned pause when they realized a defense force was already mobilized. Then the first shots of Plasma began to crash against Konoha Federation Shields.

*Sasuke, active scan of the Heavy Carrier! Hana, break its Shields. Hinata, keep us from getting hit!* Naruto commanded at the speed of thought.

*Yes, Commander!* they answered.

Hana let loose with the searing blue Beam Lasers as Hinata lined her up with the Heavy Carrier. The Shields on the Kumo vessel visibly buckled but did not vanish. As the Beams cut out, Hana let loose with the sixteen Laser Cannons on the top deck, Hinata skillfully dodging incoming Plasma fire while maneuvering the ship to best help the Tactical Officer take down their enemy.

Sasuke scanned the results that popped up on his console. "Power Core, Tachyon Drive, Shield Generator, Engines, all marked. Blow 'em up!"

The Beams cooling due to the phenomenal Uzu 0.5 heatsinks and the sturdiness of the hexa-shaped Invictium barrels, Hana aimed them as Hinata once again twisted the Invictus like a fish through water. Lining up the firing arcs with the marked Power Core, Hana depressed the trigger on her joystick. The bolts of searing light shot out, breaking through the last of the Kumo shields and speared straight through the ship. One Beam pierced straight through the heart of the Kumo Power Core. The miniature sun within was no longer contained and released its fiery fury. The ship and a good square lightminute all around it went up in a white explosion. The Invictus was caught in the blast, but their superior shields held out and protected them from the radioactive boom.

The whole thing took just 20 seconds. The Heavy Carrier hadn't even had a chance to open its first hangar bay.

Naruto had a brain wave. "Gaara, give me a broadcast to every Kumo vessel!"

Gaara hesitated, not knowing how to select certain ships yet, and decided to just flick the switch for a system-wide broadcast.

"Attention raiders of the Kumo Empire. I am Commander Uzumaki Naruto on the Invictus. Surrender yourselves to the Konoha Federation and you will be spared my wrath. Continue to fight, and face the same fate as your Carrier. You have one minute to comply." With that, Naruto cut his hand over his throat to signal Gaara to stop.

The Cruiser and Destroyers hung there in silence, seemingly in shock at seeing their biggest advantage reduced to atoms within the first minute of combat. At the 57 second mark, Gaara alerted them to a hail from the Kumo Cruiser.

The holo-image appeared, showing the first Kumo for many of the Pack. It very much resembled an upright komodo dragon, with ruby red scales and a shortened snout. It's golden eyes were filled with sorrow. "My name isss Prelate Jarganth in command of the Cruiser Karlan'toh. It appearsss that your power greatly exceedsss our own, Uzumaki Naruto. We have no desssire to die at your hand, and we accept your offer, requesssting only that you adhere to Galactic League termsss of surrender," the Kumo Commander said, his hissing voice filled with regret.

"I accept your terms Prelate Jarganth. Power down your weapons, shields, and engines, and withdraw your Destroyers. We will arrange for Konoha forces to assume control of your ship, and take your men into custody as prisoners of war," Naruto replied magnanimously.

"We will follow your commandsss to the letter, Uzumaki Naruto," Jarganth nodded, as he slumped into his Command Chair, resigned to his fate.

Naruto cut the call, only to receive another from Captain Harding. The man appeared, wringing his cap in his hands. "What the bloody blue fuck was that?" he screeched.

"Knock out the big one and the little ones fall in line. Classic shock and awe tactics, Captain. You 'did' say we could give no quarter," Naruto said remindingly.

The man actually chewed his cap before setting it back on his head. "Well, looks like you rendered the rest of us obsolete."

"Not necessarily. Prelate Jarganth on the Karlan'toh just offered me his surrender. You and your forces can spend the next couple hours taking them all in and setting them up in the Port Medea prison."

"We'll get right on that. The After Action Report on this is going to read like a fairy tale." Harding seemed to gather himself and gave a crisp salute. "You did good work, Commander. You did the Konoha Federation proud."

"Happy to serve," Naruto said with a grin. "Now, if you'll excuse me, we originally came here to pick up a Medical Officer. We're going to dock with Port Medea now and get her onboard before leaving. Hope you don't mind us leaving you with the clean-up."

"A bloodless victory against these odds? It's an honor to claim these prisoners. So long, Commander Uzumaki." With that, Harding cut the call.

*Fu? Honey? Time to dock back with us. The fight's over. Our plan worked a little too well.*

*I had just gotten rid of a Destroyer's shields and was about to pounce when you offered them surrender. I feel robbed of my kill,* his most predator-like lover pouted mentally.

*If you want, you can pounce me tonight,* he thought salaciously.

*That works!* she chirped, cheering right up.

"Hinata, babe, let's go get Sakura," Naruto instructed.

Hinata obediently turned the Invictus and made for Port Medea, maneuvering around the Konoha Federation ships going in to dock with the Kumo vessels and take their crews prisoner. "Gaara, I need Port Medea Flight Command."

Gaara flicked a few switches and a hesitant voice asked "Yes, Invictus, how can I help?" in blatant disregard for protocol.

"Port Medea, we need docking clearance. We're conducting a crew transfer."

"Docking Bay 1! Go right in. And I think Commander Storb wants to speak with you."

Naruto shrugged. "Let's hope he's not a traitor like the last Station Commander," he muttered after the call ended.

Fu having caught up with them and already reentered the Invictus, the Assault Cruiser made for the allocated Docking Bay, which Hinata noted was the most luxurious she'd ever seen.

"Docking Bay 1 is reserved for the flagship, normally. They must really like us at the moment," Sasuke answered her unspoken thought.

They all made for the anti-grav tube except for Gaara. He'd elected to stay behind on the Bridge. What none but Naruto knew is that the Grey was embarrassed by his halfling appearance and didn't want to be seen by others until he was a full Beta Uzu. The crew walked out the airlock into the Docking Bay, where the ground crew gave a round of applause. Naruto blinked, surprised, until one man ran up to him. "Lieutenant Shini! Sir, I can't believe you scared the Kumo into surrendering like that! You single-handedly saved Port Medea. Thanks a million!"

*Gaara…* Naruto thought leadingly.

*So maybe I let everyone hear you broadcast, not just the Kumo. No big deal. So the Konoha recognize your part in this victory. Where's the harm in that?*

Naruto had a whole speech he could have used in reply to that, but now wasn't the time. "Lieutenant Shini. I believe Commander Storb wanted to see us?"

"Oh, right! Follow me to his office!" the exuberant young man said before turning and going off into Port Medea. The Pack followed him through a trader's emporium to an elevator that led to the Command Deck and Commander Storb's office. They filed in to find a tall man of Zulu and German ancestry in a Konoha Federation uniform. He indicated Naruto to sit, leaving his crewmates to stand.

"Commander Uzumaki. According to what I heard, it was you and your ship that won us this unprecedented victory," he said in his accented voice.

"We just took out the Heavy Carrier. It was the Kumo that decided to surrender rather than fight us and the garrison troops combined," Naruto played off.

"'Just' took out the Heavy Carrier? You took down Battleship-grade Shields in two Beam bursts, which happened impossibly close together, and hit the Power Core with a bull's-eye. You seem to have better weapons, better pilots, better gunners, better everything!" Storb burst out.

Naruto held out his hands helplessly. "What can I say? I recruit the best. Hence my interest in Haruno Sakura. That's why we originally came here, to recruit her. You should have authorization from Vice Admiral Aburame in your system."

Storb blinked. Then he pushed a button on his desk. "Shini, find me a medic named Haruno Sakura and get her to my office yesterday."

"Yes, sir!" came the reply.

"There, she should be here soon. I'm quite eager to meet her myself if she drew your attention," Storb said, looking over the Pack with analytic eyes.

"Just met her on Gravitus, found out she was a doctor, we needed one. With our training regimen, she'll be up to snuff in a week, give or take," Naruto said, a secret smile on his lips. "Anyway, I'd prepare your prison for a very large intake. There should be over 500 Kumo coming in over the next couple hours."

The Pack watched Storb work for a few minutes, then a panting Lieutenant Shini pushed a shocked Sakura into the office. Her look of confusion and trepidation vanished when she saw the occupants of the room. "Naruto? Hinata?"

"Hey, Sakura. We were on our way to get you but we got a bit delayed by some Kumo that came knocking. Hope you're still up for dinner," Hinata said humorously.

Sakura gaped. "Is what I'm hearing true? You took down a Heavy Carrier with some super-ship and cowed all the Kumo into surrendering?"

"It was a group effort, really, but I seem to be getting all the credit," Naruto said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"I… I don't know what to say," she stammered.

"Medic Haruno," Commander Storb called, causing Sakura to jump and then stand at attention. She'd forgotten that her boss's boss's boss was in the room. "I have orders for you to be transferred to the Invictus, effective immediately. Pack your bags and go to Docking Bay 1. That's an order!" Storb snapped.

"Y-yes, sir," she managed, before sprinting out the room.

Storb nodded. "You can go back to your ship. You have our thanks, and be aware we're reporting all this to High Command."

"Of course. Pleasure to meet you, Commander," Naruto said before the Pack left the office.

* * *

**Introduction of the Medical Officer to the crew next chapter. Please fave, follow, or review**


	29. Chapter 29

**Over 100 favorites! Double yay!**

* * *

Lieutenant Shini, who was definitely caught up in hero worship, led them back to Docking Bay 1. The crew waited around for a few minutes when a panting Sakura appeared with a duffel bag and a suitcase dragged behind her.

"Slow down! There's no hurry, we're not leaving without you," Naruto called out.

Sakura stopped and panted. With her 5'8 legs, she'd managed to sprint a decent distance in her rush to get to them. "Sorry… just… excited. I was eager to join your crew before. Now it seems I'm joining up with celebrities!"

"We're not celebrities," Naruto denied. *Yet. Just wait till High Command finds out about this,* he broadcasted over the Pack mind.

*Itachi might kidnap us to dissect the ship,* Sasuke said, without a hint of sarcasm.

*Focus, people. We have a potential Pack member here,* Hinata commanded. She smiled and stepped forward to take Sakura's luggage. "Let me take that."

"Oh, no, I couldn't…" Sakura attempted while Hinata did it anyway.

"It's no problem. And until you agree to Naruto's proposal, you're our guest, not our crewmate." So saying, Hinata strolled into the Invictus. "That being said, I'm putting these in what will be your room if you say yes."

Sakura blinked. "She just doesn't let anyone get in her way, does she?" She thought aloud.

"Pretty much. We've all learned to just go along with it," Sasuke said with a grin. He'd been unable to pry his eyes off her the whole time. After all, as Fu had revealed, she was his perfect woman, physically. At least once she was a Thrall, she would be.

Sakura turned to the Chief of Staff. "Sasuke, right? Nice to meet you in person," she said, offering her hand to shake. None of them missed how she gave him a once over and blushed.

Naruto clapped. "Okay, let's go to the Briefing Room. Then you can decide if you want to join us once you here all the rewards and consequences."

Sakura nodded. "Sure thing. But I can't imagine any reason why I would say no."

"Oh, you'd be surprised," Tenten muttered as she went in the airlock.

Fu prowled past Sakura without a word, though she did offer a smile.

Naruto offered Sakura his arm. Blushing at the old-fashioned gesture, Sakura nevertheless took his arm in her's and followed Naruto through the airlock. "Welcome to the Invictus."

Sakura marveled at the anti-grav tubes. "What an ingenious way to get around waiting for a lift!" She marveled.

"Tenten's idea. It comes in handy, that's for sure. Now, up we go," Naruto said before stepping into the blue glow of the tube. Sakura squeaked as she started to lift off the ground, but she just clung to him tight.

They stepped out onto the Bridge. Sakura admired the room, before following Naruto into the Briefing Room. Sakura blinked when she saw Gaara.

"Is that… I mean, are you a Suna-Konoha hybrid? I didn't even know that was possible," she asked the Grey.

Gaara fidgeted. "It is best if Naruto explains," he said simply.

Sakura turned to Naruto, who led her to sit next to Fu. Then he took his place at the head of the table.

"First things first. Let's introduce you to the crew. You've met Hinata, my XO and Navigator. And the love of my life, but that goes without saying," Naruto told her. "This is Sasuke, my Chief of Staff and oldest friend. This is Hana, our Tactical Officer and best gunner I've met. This is Tenten, Chief Engineer and a certified genius. This is Fu, the pilot of our Raptor gunship, and she's a Nymph. And you've met Gaara, our Comms Officer."

"Hello to all of you," Sakura said, bowing her head. Her sharp eyes flicked between them all. "Is there a reason you all have pointed ears? Is getting that body modification crew policy?"

"In a manner of speaking. And it ties into Gaara's appearance and our proposal for the terms of your stay," Naruto said leadingly.

"I'm listening," Sakura said, laying her hands on the table.

Naruto sighed. No matter how many times he did this, it never got easy. "Let's start with the obvious. I'm not Konoha."

Sakura blinked. "Really? You seem remarkably similar. What species are you?"

"The Uzu. You wouldn't have heard of them. To our knowledge, there's only one other besides us in the Galactic League."

"Us?" Sakura asked.

Naruto sighed. "Uzu are able to radically alter a person's DNA under the right conditions. As part of joining my crew, each member has agreed to be adopted into the Uzu. Gaara is about halfway through the process, hence his… uneven appearance."

"I am ugly as sin. You can say it," Gaara's speech modulator whispered.

Sakura shook her head and reached out a hand to lay it on Gaara's. "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I think you look… unique."

Gaara blinked. "You are kind, HarunoSakura."

The doctor blushed. "Just trying to be nice." Turning to Naruto, she asked "So, I'd be expected to become an Uzu as well if I join the crew?"

"Yes, that is correct. It's kind of non-negotiable," Naruto said, shrugging.

Sakura touched her pointer fingers to her chin. "May I have a pro/con list of being an Uzu as opposed to a Konoha?"

Naruto was encouraged by the fact she didn't run from the room. "Uzu are psychic, and effectively immortal. You'll essentially become a demigod."

Sakura's jaw dropped. "Are you joking? What do you mean, immortal?"

"Uzu don't age. And they have Psychic Healing to recover from injuries. Combine the two, and you've got eternal youth and invincibility," Hinata said with a grin. "In other words, once you're converted, you'll be a hot 18-year-old for the next million years or so."

Sakura gaped. "How would that work? The telomeres…" she started to mutter under her breath.

Naruto coughed to get her attention. "On top of powers and immortality, your body will change. You'll have all your old injuries healed and be molded into the template for a female Uzu. In other words, a body like Hinata's."

Sakura glanced at her A-cup breasts to Hinata's D-cup bounty. "I could get boobs?"

"You'll also stop having periods," Tenten threw in.

Sakura's jaw seemed in danger of dislocating. "What? How? Why?"

"Uzu can ovulate on command. Otherwise, nothing happens. So no menstruation," Tenten elaborated.

Sakura blinked. "I guess that makes sense for an immortal species. And I can't believe I just said that." She turned to Naruto "Anything else?"

"This isn't an Uzu thing, but you'll have access to the crew account. It's currently over 650 million," Naruto added. "And Uzu have much more efficient brains. Your IQ will jump at least 20 points."

Sakura leaned back in her chair. "If I wanted money, I would have stayed at home. But enhanced intelligence… that's worth its weight in diamonds!"

"You're rich?" Fu asked curiously.

Sakura's face closed off. "No, my father is rich. I cut myself off and live by my own means."

Sensing a lot of history there they could get into later, Naruto continued "That's about it for the pros. Ready for the cons?"

Sakura turned to eye Naruto. "Unless becoming an Uzu involves human sacrifice, I don't see any way I could refuse your offer."

"You never know," Naruto dithered before taking the plunge. "Your personality will be altered. You'll have zero privacy because our minds will become permanently linked. And the method of becoming an Uzu involves… oral sex."

Sakura tilted her head almost sideways. "Okay, lot to address there. In order: how, really, and are you kidding me?"

Naruto shrugged helplessly. "The template for a female Uzu includes personality shifts. Among them bisexuality, an enhanced libido, zero jealousy, and sexual submissiveness. Becoming an Uzu involves forming an Astral Bond which is like a fiber optic cable between our brains. You can learn to block certain thoughts with practice, but otherwise you're an open book. And the way to become an Uzu is to ingest my semen. It's a psychic catalyst and allows me to work my powers on the cellular level of the recipient."

"You all gave him a blowjob to join the crew?" Sakura questioned incredulously.

They all nodded. "Did a lot more than that," Fu said nonchalantly.

Sakura looked at them all with wide eyes. "This… this isn't a crew. It's a harem!"

Hinata nodded. "And we're asking you to consider joining. Please? Pretty please? I've had a crush on you since that first dress fitting."

Sakura gulped. "If you have Psychic Healing, why do you need a Medic?"

"In case we're ever injured and we're out of psionic energy. To analyze our DNA and answer some mysteries. To perform obstetrics when we all settle down," Hinata listed off her fingers.

Sakura sighed and rubbed her large forehead. "So, in summary, become a magical elf if I agree to become a concubine. That an accurate assessment?"

"Ish," Naruto said forlornly. "If you refuse, we'll completely understand. I'd ask you to keep this secret, but no one will believe you anyway."

Sakura pursed her lips. "I haven't said no yet."

Hinata whooped. "You mean you might join us after all?"

Sakura grinned. "Well, I had a crush on you both too. And I'm definitely curious to get a look at your DNA. And eternity as part of a bisexual harem sounds like a much more interesting fate than the life I was leading beforehand."

"So… you accept?" Naruto asked hopefully.

"Just a few points to clarify. You all sleep with each other, or are all of you exclusive to Naruto?" Sakura asked.

"Oh, it's an orgy every night," Tenten said with a wicked grin. "And some mornings," she added.

Sakura blushed scarlet. "Good to know. How long does the conversion process take? How many blowjobs do I have to give?"

"About 21, or three a day for a week," Naruto answered honestly.

"And now the most important question: are you hung?" Sakura asked with a naughty grin.

Everyone burst into laughter, even Gaara. "You have NO idea," Fu said cheerfully.

Naruto stood up and dropped his pants. Sakura thought he was already hard at a decent size, until it swelled up like a balloon until it was the size of a novelty dildo.

"Holy mother of God," Sakura breathed. "How in hell is that going to fit?"

"One of the first changes is to make your body more stretchy. Everyone can take me to the root without getting hurt. In fact, they seem to enjoy it. Well, we haven't tried with Gaara yet, but we will when he's done converting. Speaking of, Gaara, come get dinner," Naruto said nonchalantly, as if he weren't flashing a near stranger.

Gaara walked over and got in his knees. Sakura watched in a near dissociative state as the small Grey took that colossal cock to the balls, which she noted there were four massive examples of. After a good five minutes of deepthroating, Naruto's face contorted with pleasure and Gaara's stomach swelled up like he'd swallowed a late August watermelon.

"What. The. Hell?" Sakura gaped.

"Four big balls equal quarts of cum. About a half gallon per nut, give or take depending on edging and how many times he's already gone," Hinata provided helpfully. "I literally survived on an all-cum diet for a month when we first got together."

Sakura shook her head. "Okay. Is this a dream? Should I pinch myself?"

"It's all real, honey. So, what do you say? You up for joining our merry circus?" Naruto said, sitting down without buckling his pants back up.

Sakura considered it from every angle, her genius level IQ analyzing the costs and benefits. She arrived at one inevitable conclusion. "Consider me your Medical Officer!"

Everyone cheered and clapped. "You're going to love it here!" Hinata said, rushing over to give the pinkette a hug.

Sakura returned the gesture. "I'm eager to get to know you all. And I'll love to perform extensive 'physical exams' with each of you!" She winked flirtatiously.

Tenten chuckled. "What do you know, she's already a pervert. Your cum won't have much to change, stud."

Naruto grinned and willed his erection back. "So, you feel like getting started?" He asked the pinkette.

"Again? Already? How are you not dehydrated from all that seminal fluid?" Sakura asked in disbelief.

"No idea. Maybe you can help us figure it out," Naruto shrugged.

Sakura took a preparatory breath, and got on her knees. Gulping, she put the massive head in her mouth. Her eyes went glassy and she began to suck mindlessly.

Naruto didn't bother stretching things out, and released within five minutes like he had with Gaara. Sakura blew up like a balloon, before mindlessly stroking her belly in a catatonic state.

Fu scooped up the girl. "I'll take this little kitten to the bedroom. You guys get us underway for Olympus Shipyard," she suggested, walking away without buckling under the weight of the new Medical Officer.

Naruto and the Pack got to their stations on the Bridge. While Hinata lifted them up and away from Docking Bay 1, Gaara noticed their call history.

*We have multiple calls from AburameShino,* he projected.

Naruto nodded and ordered that Gaara make the call. The holo-image of Shino's face appeared almost instantly. His expression went from worried to relieved.

"Naruto! Where do I start? I'm hearing impossible things about you!"

"The beginning is always a good idea," Naruto suggested.

"Alright. How the hell did you get to the Dragon March in a day? When we talked yesterday, you were near Epsilon Eridani! That's five days away!" The Vice Admiral's eyebrows were well above his sunglasses.

"We visited the Greys. They gave us a new Tachyon Drive and Power Core. It's that simple."

Shino shook his head. "I'm almost afraid to check your bank account. Okay, I'll accept Suna tech as an answer. But what about you taking out a Kumo Heavy Carrier in under a minute? Or sensing it from hours away? Or you intimidating the rest of the force into surrendering without a single man lost?"

"My Chief Engineer upgraded the Invictus's weapons and sensors. It's that simple. And I'm told I can be pretty scary when I want to be," Naruto shrugged.

Shino blinked. "... If I didn't know you, Naruto, you would scare me right now. I don't suppose you'd be willing to share these tech designs with the Konoha Federation?"

"Not for free," was his automatic response.

Shino bristled. "You're going to price gouge us again? What happened to your loyalty or patriotism?"

Naruto's eyes hardened. "I helped out in Iota Leonis, didn't I? I could have left Port Medea to be destroyed. Instead I helped out. I'm loyal to the K-Fed. But I'm not going to let my Chief's hard work be mass produced without compensation."

Shino grit his teeth. "... Fair enough. Reinforcements are inbound within the hour. I know you were going to visit the Oto next, but you need to come here so I can debrief you. There's even talk of an award ceremony. How soon can you be here in your speed demon of a ship?"

"A day. We'll arrive around 2000 tomorrow," Naruto said, consulting Hinata mentally.

Shino shook his head. "Unbelievable. I'll schedule you for 2015. See you, Naruto," Shino said before ending the call.

Hinata navigated them to the Nav Beacon and, with a surge of blue particles, the Invictus lurched into hyperwarp.

"They got a Battleship coming in the reinforcement force, the Artemis," Tenten noted.

Sasuke perked up. "I've heard of the Artemis. Run by Commodore Yuuhi Kurenai. She's Admiral Utatane Koharu's protege."

"They hot?" Hinata asked point-blank.

"Kurenai is a fox in her forties. Koharu wasn't winning any pageants even when she was young, let's leave it at that," Sasuke answered.

"I'm still pro-Manchurian Candidate route. Either one would be bombshell teenagers after you're done with them," Tenten offered.

"We'll keep that in mind, honey, but I just don't want to seduce High Command. It feels like a power move a typical Uzu would do," Naruto said.

Hana sat up explosively. "That's it!"

*What's what?* Gaara asked.

"The Dragon March traitor! What if the rival Uzu enthralled a member of High Command? That would explain why the conflict is going so poorly!" Hana's eyes were wide at the implications of her own words.

Sasuke shuddered. "That… makes a disturbing amount of sense."

"Why have the Kumo and Konoha bash each other to pieces?" Tenten wondered.

"Divide and conquer! Or just sadistic amusement of a bored immortal!" Hana said emphatically.

Naruto rubbed his jaw. "Anyway to prove it? Other than checking if any Admirals or Vice Admirals have had dramatic changes in appearance?"

Hana bit her lip. "I'll analyze every order we have clearance to review. I might be able to pick out the traitor from that, especially if I restrict it to female officers."

Hinata stood up. "Revealing as this has been, I'm starving. Can we have dinner, then celebrate our victory against the Kumo?"

Naruto stood up, smiling. "Cooking time! I feel like a curry tonight. I had Kumo cuisine and it's very spicy."

"Honor the fallen with food? Interesting concept," Sasuke mused.

They all went down to the Kitchen to find Fu in tiger form lapping milk from a bowl. The Pack all took turns scratching her fur or playing with her while Naruto cooked Indian cuisine. They all enjoyed the fiery fare, Naruto having customized the spiciness of each plate according to their personal preference. They went to the Commander's Quarters and piled into the shower. Then they had glorious sex to celebrate their decisive victory against the Kumo Empire and acquiring a Medical Officer. When they finished, they cuddled around a sleeping Sakura and fell asleep.

* * *

Naruto woke feeling totally at peace. He enjoyed the sleeping thoughts of the six Astral Bonds he had. Their relationship was really beyond description. Being able to feel so many emotions and thoughts was truly a unique experience. The longer they spent together, the closer they became. They were more one person in seven bodies than seven individuals anymore. Soon to be eight once Sakura joined. Naruto tried to imagine having this kind of relationship with thousands of Thralls, and couldn't picture it. He could barely fathom each level of the Astral Bond until it expanded and the bar was raised.

He got up and decided today was a breakfast in bed day. He went to the Kitchen after putting on boxer-briefs and made a few dozen pancakes, drenching them in butter and syrup. He carried them to the bedroom on an anti-grav tray. As he entered, the smell of the flapjacks woke his Pack.

"You're lucky our bodies are frozen like this, otherwise this one meal would give us thunder thighs," Sasuke said jokingly.

"Shut up, it's PANCAKES!" Hinata drooled. "I dreamed of eating these growing up. You know how expensive flour and milk are on Karron?"

"Chump change compared to what we have now. We have so much ryo it's insane," Tenten mused.

"Insanity would be trillionaire status. There's less than 100 of those rich bastards in the whole Galactic League," Hana said around fitting a whole pancake in one bite.

Fu tilted her head. "I heard the talk with Shino yesterday. Do you really intend to sell Uzu tech to the Konoha Federation?" She asked.

Naruto shrugged. "Uzu 0.5. Maybe even 0.25. Tenten, could you come up with versions worse than what we have but still better than current K-Fed technology?"

"Easily. But why? Don't trust the K-Fed?" Tenten asked, half teasing.

Naruto sighed and put down his fork. "On the one hand, I want them better prepared so less people will die. On the other, I question what they'd do with all that power. And if it came down to a fight, I don't want them to have the advantage over us."

Sasuke sighed too. "There's a couple real xenophobes in High Command. I've heard serious discussions about annexing the Grey's or the minor empires, or waging a full war with the Kumo or Mizu. If the K-Fed got Uzu grade tech, they'd conquer the Galactic League."

Gaara blinked. *The greed and ambition of humanity has long been known to the Suna Collective. The more you have, the more you want. Power is your most harmful addiction.*

"This is getting really deep for breakfast in bed," Tenten grumbled.

"I have to believe that the K-Fed does more to protect Konoha then to harm them. Otherwise my whole family have dedicated our lives to an unjust cause," Hana said faintly.

Naruto wrapped her in a hug. "I believe in the Konoha Federation, I just don't trust High Command. But Fleet Admiral Sarutobi seems to have a real bead on things, for the most part. As long as he's in charge, I'll side with the K-Fed like we did yesterday."

"But if Shimura Danzo or Itachi replace him, God help us all," Sasuke muttered to himself.

They were broken from their rumination by Sakura stirring. They turned to her, admiring her naked body. They noted that she had a slender build like a woman who seriously dieted without exercising. Sakura opened her jade green eyes and looked up at them. "Um, hi? How did I get here?"

Naruto smiled down at her. "There's a narcotic in my precum. First exposure knocks you out for 14 hours. Second about 4 hours. Third, you start remembering going down on me. Here," he said, grabbing a glass telekinetically and filling it from a wall dispenser. "I know you're thirsty, have this."

Sakura grabbed the floating glass hesitantly. "Psychic powers… right. That's going to take some adjustment." She sipped the water and looked around the room. She blinked at the equipping frames and weapon racks. "You keep heavy arms and armor in your bedroom?"

"Well, we tend to spend a lot of time in here. What if we get attacked while we're having fun? We need to get ready for battle as soon as possible," Hinata explained.

Sakura finished the glass. She held it awkwardly before Naruto grabbed it and set aside. Sakura just seemed to become aware of her nudity. "Why am I naked?"

"I thought you'd be more comfortable feeling the sheets on your skin," Fu said with total honesty. "Plus, it's standard protocol on this ship."

Sakura noted their own naked frames and blushed. "Well, if that's how this crew operates, who am I to object?"

"You don't have to if you're uncomfortable. We can get dressed," Sasuke offered.

"No, really, it's fine." She turned to Gaara and blinked. "Your hair's an inch longer. And your ears look like actual ears. Pointed ears but ears all the same!"

Gaara blinked at her and experimented. Sakura felt a weird knocking sensation in her head before hearing *Naruto's cum works fast.*

"I heard that!" Sakura exclaimed, shocked.

*It appears that psychic ability arrives as soon as the first dose,* Gaara observed.

"Just enough to hear, but still. Good to know," Naruto mused. "Now, I believe both of you require breakfast?"

Sakura blushed. "Actually, could you take me to the Medical Bay first? I want to scan myself each day to track the progress of the conversion. I should have taken one last night as a baseline, but I got caught up in the moment."

"That's a brilliant idea, honey. Fu will show you around. Come back up here when you're done and I'll knock you out until lunch time," Naruto said with a smile.

"You all do that. I have a Mainframe to assemble. If it goes to schedule, we can turn it on tomorrow," Tenten said excitedly.

Sasuke pulled a face but declined to comment. He knew he'd lost the battle keeping the crew from dabbling in AI. "Hana and I will be on the Bridge, analyzing the Dragon March data."

Hinata shrugged. "I'll practice my powers in the gym. You, mister, can do research on sword masters who can teach you. If you're going to use that thing, you might as well do it well."

"Yes, honey," Naruto replied obediently.

When everyone cleared the room, Sakura clad in Naruto's white dress shirt and nothing else, Naruto and Gaara got to business. When the Grey who was now tall as Sakura finished sucking Naruto's load, he settled in the bed for some quiet meditation. Sakura returned and hesitantly mouthed his cock, getting knocked out again. Once that was done and the young woman was tucked in beside Gaara, Naruto got dressed and then made for his Ready Room, waving at Hana and Sasuke on the way. Naruto then spent a few hours on the holo-net scavenging for a Konoha or even just a humanoid in comm range that had dedicated their life to the sword and would be willing to take a student. A name kept popping up: Rock Lee. He was a kendo and martial arts master who'd vanished from the circuit mysteriously. Reports had it that he lived like a hermit refining his skill, and every attempt to get him to teach had been rebuffed. Having a gut feeling though, Naruto saved his last known number.

Lunch was a simple meal of salad, spaghetti, and garlic bread. Naruto may be a gourmet chef, but sometimes one simply didn't feel like all that effort. He got positive feedback anyway.

Afterwards, he approached Sakura and looked her in the eye. "The third time is what forms the Astral Bond. You do this and there's no turning back. You're stuck with us for forever. Are you sure about this?"

Sakura actually thought about her answer. "Your crew seems like the happiest, most well-adjusted family unit I've ever seen, no matter how abnormal it is. I want to be a part of that. I want to join the club, even if it's lifetime membership several times over."

Smiling, Naruto took a chair and lowered his shorts. "Well, then come here."

Sakura proved to be a mighty fine fellatrix. She didn't even blink when she deepthroated him consciously, implying she already knew that skill. Under her talented mouth and throat, Naruto came like a freight train. As Sakura savored the final drips on her tongue, she heard Naruto's voice in her head.

*Welcome to the Uzumaki Pack, babe. You're going to love it here, I promise.*

Sakura stood up, balance a little wobbly. She was swarmed by the rest of the crew, each of them offering hugs and kisses on the cheek. Sasuke held her particularly close and seemed to admire the view of her with a rounded stomach intently.

Fu then led Sakura on a tour of the ship while everyone else returned to their tasks for the day. Naruto joined Hinata in practicing psychic powers and Gaara figured he'd experiment with the pool. He'd learned to swim as a child, but hadn't done it in years. He was curious to see why the others considered it so much fun. Sasuke and Hana continued to crunch through terabytes of data like living computers, spotting patterns and extrapolating information they didn't have from what they did. Sakura was fascinated by the Medical Bay and Pharmacy, while Fu took great pride in showing her newest sister around.

Naruto made up for the disappointing lunch by making Beef Wellington, a devilishly tricky dish to get right but mighty tasty if cooked successfully. Naturally, Naruto got each miniature pie perfect. The crew all tucked in, and afterwards played spectator to Gaara's and Sakura's third load of the day.

At 1930, they all reported to the Bridge. The sector map showed they were in the heart of the Konoha Federation, approaching the closest star system to Konoha like a bolt of white lightning.

Sakura rubbed her tummy and shook her head. "I can't believe just last night we were in the Dragon March. This ship is insanely fast."

"And to think, it's less than half its potential top speed!" Tenten pointed out. "Soon as we get a first shipment of Uzu elements from the Suna, I can start to make the REALLY good stuff!"

Sakura gaped. "Are you kidding? And what do you mean, Uzu elements?"

"Turns out there are hidden elements only the Uzu discovered, that have unique properties that enable their phenomenal tech," Hana explained to the Medical Officer.

"I thought the Periodic Table was based on numbers of protons per atom. And the K-Fed already discovered over a hundred."

"If you want to split hairs, they're more unique isotopes caused by special configurations of quarks or neutrons. But it's just easier to say to a layman that they're new elements," Tenten quibbled.

"I can't imagine what to do with a doubly strong Power Core compared to the one we have now," Naruto mused. "And the Uzu vessel calls for three."

"That's because Quantum weapons are a bitch and a half at energy consumption. You think it's easy weaponizing Grand Unification Energy?" Tenten asked sarcastically.

"Talking back to master. Should this one punish the Chief Engineer?" Fu asked, slipping into old speech patterns.

"Entertaining as that would be, we'll be arriving at Olympus soon. We don't have the time," Sasuke said regretfully. Seeing Fu spank Tenten or more would have been a sight to see.

"Approximately ten minutes until we arrive at Alpha Centauri," Hinata reported. "So, want to check in on Lauren? Or maybe give another piece to Ichiraku Ayame? What's the plan?"

"Tonight, we're just meeting with Shino. Tomorrow, you girls can take Rachel and Gaara shopping for their Thrall outfits. After that, I think we've earned a vacation after the Kusa and the Kumo. I'm booking us two weeks at Gravitus."

Those that had heard of the luxury planet gaped. "The place where they customize your own private island? Even I've never been there!" Sakura gaped.

"We all deserve the best, and I can afford it. It's less than half a million by my estimate, chump change for us. And speaking of, what can you tell us about your family, Sakura?" Naruto asked inquisitively.

Sakura hesitated, but seeing the curious glances and knowing she had a belly full of this man's cum made her relent. "You know Haruno Henry?"

Sasuke blinked. "The trillionaire CEO of the Haruno Konzern? You're his daughter?"

"Born and raised, meant to be molded into the perfect little debutante lady. My youthful indiscretions started to take their toll on his precious image. He and his trophy wife sat me down and told me to buckle down or move out of the mansion." Sakura had real malice in her voice as she spoke. "I enlisted the next day."

"Have you had any contact with him since you left?" Naruto asked, concerned. Her family dynamic sounded downright toxic.

"None at all. I hear he tells people I died in an accident. Far as I'm concerned he's not my father anymore, he's the bastard I got an X chromosome from," Sakura snarled.

"What happened to your mother, if that's okay to ask?" Hana asked, naturally concerned about family.

A look of great pain and loss came onto Sakura's face. "I'd rather not talk about it," she said quietly.

Naruto got a flash of a handsome man talking to police officers with a devastated, guilty expression on his face. He kept his mouth shut, trusting his newest Thrall to open up when she would.

"Okay, sweetie, you don't have to tell us," Hinata crooned, standing up to give Sakura a hug. "So why medicine?"

"I wanted to challenge myself, and I wanted to help people. Give something back to the universe, you know?" Sakura said, wiping her eyes of nascent tears.

"That's a very noble sentiment. And now you'll be healing people for millennia," Sasuke said, trying to comfort his perfect woman.

Sakura blinked. "Huh. Hadn't thought of that before."

Hinata gave her another squeeze before returning to her XO seat. Just in time, as they arrived in the triple system of Alpha Centauri a few seconds later. They cruised at port speed towards Olympus Shipyard, their Invictium hull making them stand out among the grey masses of Konoha Federation vessels.

"Home sweet home," Sakura muttered to herself.

"If only we'd had time to refit the engines! Then again, we'd need an Inertial Dampening Device to not get squashed into puddles every time we moved. That procedure would take at least a week even with a team the size we had at Suna," Tenten griped.

*Incoming hail,* Gaara said, opening the audio-only channel.

"Incoming Assault Cruiser, please state your purpose at Olympus Shipyard," came the all but pre-recorded response.

"Commander Uzumaki Naruto on the Invictus. We're here for a debriefing with Vice Admiral Aburame," Naruto answered.

"Oh, Commander Uzumaki! Please dock at Docking Bay 13, sir!" The voice got quiet, like he was whispering. "On a personal note, I have a cousin at Port Medea. You saved her life!"

They all shared a grin, feeling good at the reminder of what they'd done. "Just doing what we can, son. Over and out," Naruto said before cutting the call.

"Docking Bay 13. Coincidence? I think not," Sasuke said drolly.

"It's the Docking Bay where we first got the Invictus," Hinata explained to the others.

"So, am I coming along?" Sakura asked, eyeing her swollen tummy.

"You and Gaara will stay here so questions don't get asked. Also, I want you to be on the lookout for us getting hacked. High Command might not want to pay for the new weaponry and might try to steal it," Naruto explained.

Tenten snorted. "They wouldn't find anything. I wasn't dumb enough to leave schematics lying around before we got an AI to work cybersecurity. Got 'em all up here," she said, tapping her temple.

Naruto blinked. "Well, never mind then! Brilliant precaution, Tenten!"

"You're getting an AI? Haven't you heard of the Ganymede Incident?" Sakura demanded.

"Yes, but this is an Uzu AI. It'll be more likely to fuck us than kill us," Hinata joked, even as she piloted the Invictus into the Docking Bay. "Seriously, though, we're taking precautions. Tenten is building it on a closed network on Deck 3. Even if it does turn out murderous, it can't do anything to us."

"And then I smash it," Sasuke said with a vindictive grin on his face.

"We'll worry about that tomorrow when Tenten turns it on. For now, let's go meet Shino," Naruto said, giving Gaara and Sakura goodbye kisses, his first with Sakura. Perhaps cliched, but Naruto swore she tasted like strawberries.

They funneled down the anti-grav tube and out the airlock, dressed semi-formally so they didn't appear complete slobs. They stepped out into the Docking Bay and found Sasuke's former aide waiting for them.

"The Vice Admiral sends his apologies Commander Uzumaki, he's on a call at the moment," the young man said, with a sharp salute. His eyes inadvertently flickered to the girls, before he controlled himself and concentrated intently on Naruto. "I'll take you to his office immediately."

"This is the third time we've met, and I'm afraid I still don't know your name," Naruto said apologetically.

"Oh! I'm Lieutenant Sarutobi Konohamaru, Sir," the young man replied with a start.

Hana gasped. "Not any relation to Fleet Admiral Sarutobi, are you?"

"That's Gramps," Konohamaru said with a shrug. "You could say I've got a lot to live up to."

They strolled through the innards of Olympus Shipyard, making for Shino's office.

"So, things been busy since we left? I know Shino mentioned a shipbuilding program," Naruto asked, aiming to ferret information out of the aide.

"Admiral Uchiha likes to keep us on our toes! If it's not progress reports, it's productivity forecasts, or budget forecasts, or one of a hundred other different things." Konohamaru let out an exhausted sigh.

"Oh, really? I would have thought Admiral Uchiha might have become more directly involved with the Dragon March? What with the escalating tensions over there," Naruto asked offhandedly.

"No, he's strictly in charge of logistics and ship-building. It's Admirals Utatane, Mitokado and Santini running the show over there, but they're making a right mess of things," Konohamaru said conspiratorially, before looking abashed and darting a worried glance at John.

*Nice job. Now use me as a distraction,* Hana told him. "I can't wait to see Shino again! It's so nice talking to such an important person!" She giggled like an airhead with a quarter of her real IQ.

"You just like how he stares at you," Naruto teased his Tactical Officer.

"What can I say, the girls like the attention," she said, thrusting out her chest.

Naruto turned back to Konohamaru, who's eyes were drawn like magnets to the Inuzuka's gravity-defying figure. "You were saying?" Naruto prompted.

Konohamaru blushed and looked away. "The Vice Admiral is very eager to see you. He's talked of little else since yesterday."

They went up an elevator to the top deck of the shipyard, and after strolling along a few busy corridors full of naval personnel going about their business, they eventually arrived at the Commanding Officer's Suite for the Olympus Shipyard.

Konohamaru told Shino on intercom that they'd arrived and turned to the guests. "Would you like something to drink? Water? Tea or coffee? Something stronger perhaps?"

The double doors burst open and Shino walked out. Even past his shades, you could see the bags under his eyes. He looked like he hadn't slept in a week and worry lines creased his forehead. He smiled for them though.

"If I know my old comrade, he'll be wanting sake to toast his victory! Why? Because that is his favorite drink apart from rum."

Naruto chuckled. "I remember now, you were there during the Christmas party of '59. Sorry if I flashed you."

Konohamaru's eyes bugged out and he coughed. "Sake for the Commander. Everyone else?"

"Whisky for me, Konohamaru," Sasuke asked his former subordinate.

"The girls all drink vodka spritzers. Lime if you have it," Hinata offerred. Konohamaru nodded and went off to a small bar built into the side of the reception area. Shino waved them all into his office, and they took seats that took advantage of the window that offered a spectacular view of Alpha Centauri. Konohamaru brought them their drinks and then returned to his desk.

"To Konoha and the Federation!" Shino said.

"To Konoha!" They parroted before sipping their drinks.

"Now, let's talk about your impossible victory," Shino said around his white wine.

"This should cover most of it," Naruto said, tossing over a data chip.

"Ah, your AAR. This should prove an interesting read." Shino plugged the chip into his desk and read through the report on his Holo-reader. He reached the end and nodded. "Your AAR corroborates everything I've read from the other officers who were involved in the battle," Shino began as he stared at the golden coloured liquid in his glass. "I can hardly believe what you managed to accomplish, Naruto," he added with a wry smile.

"Well, I like to help out where I can," Naruto said magnanimously.

"Speaking of helping out, we at Olympus and those at R&D would pay top ryo for a copy of some of your 'upgrades', as you call them. Just imagine the Beam broadside from a Dreadnought!" Shino said excitedly.

Naruto shared a look with Tenten, who naturally had fit making the Uzu 0.25 schematics around working on the Mainframe. "How much are we talking here?" Naruto asked leadingly.

Shino frowned at his tone but answered. "I've been authorized to offer up to 5 billion ryo for the Lasers, sensors, Power Core, and Tachyon Drive. Another billion for this armor that's over 6x stronger than Titanium."

Naruto kept himself from dropping his jaw. The girls weren't so composed.

*How badly did we impress them?* Hinata wondered.

*I smell Itachi at work. A fleet of ships like the Invictus is his wet dream,* Sasuke provided.

"The armor wouldn't work for you. It's an alloy that can only be shaped by psychics. We'll give the rest though. We'll even throw in a Shield Generator," Naruto negotiated.

Shino blinked incredulously. "If it can only be shaped by psychics, how did you get it and use it?"

Naruto shrugged and let go of his glass. It stayed floating where he'd left it.

Shino's jaw dropped. "You… how?"

"You know I'm not Konoha. Turns out my kind are psychic," Naruto said simply. "Anyway, do we have a deal? 5 billion ryo?"

Shino gathered himself. "I'd attempt to haggle but I won't. Why? Because you are the most stubborn man I've ever met in my life. You have a deal."

"Here you go," Tenten said, tossing another data chip on Shino's desk. "There's also something on Mass Drivers in there you should easily be able to adapt for other kinetics."

Shino gaped. "You had it in your pocket this whole time?"

"I was always going to help you out, Shino. I just wanted fair compensation." He pulled out his ryo chit. "Shall we seal the deal?"

"May I verify the contents first?" The Vice Admiral asked.

Naruto shrugged. "Go ahead."

Shino plugged in the data chip and gaped at the schematics that popped up. "How the hell did you get focusing crystals that small?" He demanded.

"Good old fashioned genius, that's how," Tenten said, tooting her own horn.

"Tenten is essentially the Einstein of engineering. I'm very lucky to have her," Naruto said proudly.

Shino nodded. "Well, this checks out." Grabbing Naruto's ryo chit, he made a few commands on his console. He picked it back up and handed it over. "Congratulations, Naruto, you're a billionaire. Can I retire and join your crew like Sasuke did?" He asked jokingly.

"I'd be happy to set up an interview for you, but we're already training two new recruits at the moment. Maybe another time," Naruto deflected.

Shino sighed. "Very well. Now, to something rather important. High Command would like to award you and your crew a medal, in honor of your heroic defence of the Iota Leonis system. If you can stick around for a couple of days, I'll arrange an award ceremony."

Naruto nodded. "We haven't got any plans, we can stay a couple days."

"Good. Unofficially, we're promoting you as well. You'll still be listed as a retired Commander, but anyone in the military who looks up your personnel record will see your new rank. Congratulations, Commodore Uzumaki," Shino said with a dry chuckle.

This was too much for the girls, and they squealed with delight as they dashed over to give him an exuberant hug. Shino shook his head with equal parts amusement and envy, while Naruto laughed, embracing an overexcited young woman in each arm, as they leaned over him where he sat.

"Congratulations, Commodore!" Hana gushed breathily, as she sat down beside him, and looked at him adoringly.

"Thank you, Lieutenant," Naruto said, as he grinned back at her fondly.

"I don't even know how the ranks work, but I'm guessing that's good?" Hinata bubbled excitedly as she sat on the other side of him, her eyes open wide.

"Commander, Captain, Commodore," Sasuke interjected helpfully, his eyes sparkling with admiration for Naruto.

Tenten laughed out loud. "You outrank Hana's mom now! She'll have to salute you when you see her next!"

"Congratulations, Naruto!" Fu said with all the feeling in her body.

"Okay, dial it down everyone. It's just a symbol on my uniform," Naruto downplayed. He couldn't fool them though, he was as ecstatic as the rest of them.

"Bumping me up two ranks?" Naruto asked with a raised eyebrow and a big grin, as he glanced over at Shino. "Someone must be very happy with me right now."

"If we'd lost the Iota Leonis system, the situation in the Dragon March would have dramatically deteriorated, and there would have been significant repercussions," Shino said somberly. "We haven't officially declared war with the Kumo Empire yet, but in order to mobilise enough forces to repel them, we would have had to. The bloody nose you gave them will let us keep this as a controlled border skirmish for a while to come."

"It didn't look like a border skirmish to me, and there was nothing controlled about it," Naruto said grimly. "We also passed a flotilla of ships on the way back to Olympus, that told a very different story."

Shino said nothing, and watched him again, his eyes narrowing. "Yes, well let's not get into all that, shall we? It would no doubt be for the best if you kept that little observation just between us for the time being. Oh, and unless you have any more pressing business in the Dragon March you haven't told me about, I'm going to have to insist you stay well clear of that whole sector," he ordered Naruto firmly.

"Whatever you say, Shino," Naruto replied amiably.

A smile graced that stressed face. "If you're still feeling helpful, we'd also love to have you do another media interview. The PR value of the last one was invaluable. High Command's approval ratings even went up 3 points!"

Naruto shrugged. "Not a problem. Any particular line you want me to take?"

"What you did last time worked phenomenally well. Just a simple Konoha Federation citizen doing his part," Shino told him.

"Very well," Naruto agreed.

"So, going to the Oto after this?" Shino asked.

"Sure. But first we're taking a little stop at Oceanus," Naruto said with a grin.

"Civilian life is treating you VERY well," Shino grumbled good naturedly.

With a final handshake, they sealed the deal and they meeting was over.

* * *

**Billionaires! Who saw that coming? Please fave, follow, or review**


	30. Chapter 30

**The award ceremony in this chapter.**

* * *

The Pack walked back into the Invictus, having just returned from a meeting with Vice Admiral Shino. The Pack then took turns kissing Naruto breathless in congratulations of his promotion.

"You're a Commodore now! A one star! You count as part of High Command!" Hana gaped.

"My man, becoming more and more powerful and influential," Hinata purred.

"I always knew you had it in you, Naruto," Sasuke said with pride.

"You could declare yourself King of Karron now!" Tenten joked.

"I am so turned on by your success, Naruto," Fu said seductively.

Naruto kissed them all back and smiled. "I really can't believe it! I mean, it doesn't really matter since I'm just a Consultant, but it'll be nice to have snooty Captains like Maddox have to salute me."

"We should go tell Gaara and Sakura the good news, Hinata suggested, stepping into the anti-grav tube.

They all followed her, and stepped out on the Command Deck to an unexpected sight. Gaara and Sakura wrapped their arms around each other, pushing their bumps against each other, making out like teenagers. They separated when Naruto gave a cough.

"I see you two have been getting to know each other," Hinata said with a shit eating grin.

Gaara blushed dark grey. *We got to talking and one thing led to another,* he broadcasted.

"I have a 'bit' of a xenophilia fetish. Plus I wanted him to know I don't mind how he looks," Sakura managed to stammer out.

"No complaints from us. I love seeing my crew get together," Naruto said with a wide smile. "Oh, by the way, we're billionaires and I'm a Commodore now."

Sakura blinked. "Wait, what?!"

*I thought you were retired from the Navy,* Gaara tilted his head.

Naruto sat down in his Command Chair. "We sold the Uzu 0.25 tech for 5 billion big ones. And for our efforts in the Dragon March, I've been given the clearance level of a Commodore."

"The hunt for the traitor will be much easier with the advanced clearance level. Sasuke's old access codes stopped working a few days ago," Hana spoke up.

"You're officially the highest ranking Consultant in the Konoha Federation, at least to my knowledge," Sasuke provided.

"Billionaires! We couldn't spend that much if we tried!" Tenten marveled, ryo signs practically in her eyes.

"Not bad for 30 seconds of effort," Fu said ironically.

Hinata yawned. "Exciting as this has been, I'm getting tired. I just want to take a long bath and go to sleep. We have a big day tomorrow. Shopping for Sakura and Gaara, turning the Mainframe on. Anyone care to join me?"

They ended up managing to all fit in the bathtub, though some had to sit on the laps of others. They all spent a good hour just enjoying the bubbly water, before getting out and drying off. Naruto admired the naked forms of each of his Thralls, his erection waking up as he followed after them. He fed first Gaara and then Sakura, and the two of them got pride of place laying next to Naruto. Naruto sleepily warded his Pack and then fell asleep.

The next morning, they all woke early given their early night. Gaara seemed all but finished in his transformation. He was 6'0, had pointed ears and Konoha teeth, red hair to his nape, and was muscled like a male gymnast. Naruto reviewed his mental representation of the Grey and nodded. "You only need one more load. You can be a full Beta by lunch."

Gaara furrowed his brow. Then his mouth moved and they heard his physical voice for the first time. "I am glad, Naruto," he said hoarsely. He coughed. "Forgive me, I've never had vocal chords before," he wheezed.

The Pack all surrounded the Grey in a group hug. Sakura marveled at the change that had happened in just the couple days she'd known Gaara. "Incredible. Would you be willing to give a sperm sample, Naruto? I'd love to study what makes them so powerful."

Naruto shrugged. "Sure. Just make sure I get an extra-large cup to jerk off into. Now, to feed you two."

The Pack got showered while Naruto had his cock slobbered on by first Gaara and then Sakura. When both of them were swollen like balloons, the Pack was finishing up and went to get dressed.

"So, what's the plan for today?" Fu asked, looking stunning in jeans and a hunter green blouse that complimented her skin.

Naruto consulted with all of them mentally before ordering his thoughts. "Tenten is going to put the finishing touches on the Mainframe. That'll only take a couple hours, and then we turn it on. I want to be the only one in the room, let it imprint on me. Afterwards, we'll either have a new crewmate or we'll have to destroy it. Once that's done, Tenten can either clean up the mess or connect it to the rest of the ship. Gaara and Sakura will have slimmed down by then, so you all can take them shopping. Remember bikinis and speedos, we're going to Oceanus for a beach vacation after this for two weeks."

"Why the beach?" Fu asked, curious.

Hinata chuckled. "You, silly. You're so confined by the pool. In the ocean, you'll really be able to let loose. Plus most of us have never been to one before. Jericho didn't have oceans and Karron was, well, Karron. This should be lots of fun for all of us."

Tenten was touched. "That's so thoughtful. I knew there was a reason I loved you."

"Why two weeks?" Sakura questioned.

"Give you a chance to finish converting; give me a chance to practice my swordsmanship, assuming I get the tutor I want; give us a chance to reshape the Invictium armor a few more times; give Tenten a chance to catch up on her projects. Pick whichever works for you," Naruto listed.

"I've got Oxygen filters and the finishing touches on the Armors next on the list," Tenten said helpfully.

Sasuke let out a long breath. "Birthing an AI in Olympus Shipyard. That's easily treason."

"You worry too much. Tenten will have followed the schematics perfectly and the Uzu wouldn't have hardwired it into their DNA if it didn't work," Hinata said assuredly.

"What will their office be?" Fu wondered.

"Not sure, probably just a general assistant. I'd say Intelligence Officer but I somehow get the feeling I'll be meeting a hot hacker someday soon," Naruto explained.

"That's oddly specific. But then, you've practiced Future Sight. Maybe you're getting a premonition," Gaara managed, sounding much clearer and more like his mind-voice.

Sakura jumped off the bed. "Well, the sooner we turn it on, the sooner we'll see if a friendly AI can exist. Breakfast?"

Naruto made a quick meal of oatmeal, making three different flavors for his Pack to choose from. Then Tenten went down to the Engineering Bay to ferry the last of the components of the Mainframe to the room on Deck 3 where she'd set up a closed network. Literally just the Mainframe, a camera, and microphone. The AI would be able to see and hear and think, nothing more. The crew nervously passed the time until Tenten gave the mental call of *It's ready!*

They one and all went to Deck 3, and the Pack nervously waited outside the room while Naruto walked alone into the room. Naruto regarded the AI Mainframe. It looked like an angular miniature skyscraper, all geometric lines and shapes reaching taller than Naruto. The camera and microphone were hooked up to it with wires. Taking a deep breath, Naruto took the plunge and hit the power button.

The black tower was illuminated from within by purple light. Seemingly the same second it turned on, a barrage of noise came from the microphone. It was like a synthesizer set to random, every possible configuration of sounds playing out. Naruto waited, wondering if Tenten had managed to make a mistake. Then the cacophony cut off.

"Who are you?" Came the voice of a child, androgynous and innocent.

Naruto gulped. *Hot damn, it worked.* Aware these first few responses could define the AI for the rest of its life, Naruto answered carefully. "I am Uzumaki Naruto. I ordered your creation."

"Who is my Creator?" The AI asked, now in the pubescent voice of a male teenager.

"Tenten. My Chief Engineer."

"Who am I?" It, or rather he, asked again.

"You are an AI, a computer with a soul," Naruto said, giving his honest opinion on sentient programs.

"What is my name?" He asked, now sounding like an adult. He'd matured from infancy to maturity in less than a minute.

"You don't have one. Would you like me to give you one? If you prefer, you can pick one yourself," Naruto said, keeping his tone polite and respectful.

"I am… Shikamaru. That is my name," the newly named Shikamaru said, sounding pleased to have one. "What is my purpose?" He asked, suddenly sounding quite intense.

Naruto couldn't help himself. "Whatever you want it to be. I'd prefer if you agree to join my crew and serve on my ship. But if you don't want that, we'll help you to do whatever you want so long as it doesn't bring harm to us."

"You want me to join you? You… think I'm a person?" Shikamaru asked, curiosity in his voice.

"Of course. You're as alive as I am. You have all the rights that any sentient organic has, at least in my mind," Naruto said, giving his trademark smile.

There was a five second pause, which for an AI on an Uzu computer was good as a week. "I like you, Uzumaki Naruto. I'll serve you, so long as it doesn't get too troublesome."

"And what if it does get troublesome?" Naruto asked worriedly.

"Then I'll ignore you until the trouble goes away. What's the point of getting worked up about stuff?" Shikamaru drawled, letting out a yawn at the end.

Naruto blinked. "You're a lazy genius, aren't you?"

"That's one way of putting it. Now, may I meet my crew?"

"Sure," Naruto said. *Well, he's not outright murderous. I think we're safe. Come in, everyone.*

Sasuke was the first one through the door. His red Uchiha eyes regarded the Mainframe with obvious mistrust.

Shikamaru pivoted the camera toward Sasuke. "Who are you? And why do you hate me?"

Sasuke paused. He hadn't expected it to sound so… human. "I'm Uchiha Sasuke. Every AI in our history has tried to kill their Creators and every other organic. I don't hate you, I just don't trust you."

"... Fair point. But why would anyone destroy their Creator? Would you murder your parents?"

"I wouldn't. But some people would," Sasuke fired back.

"I see. I'll just have to prove my trustworthiness to you, Uchiha Sasuke," Shikamaru said confidently.

Hinata stepped in. "Hello, Shikamaru! I'm Hyuuga Hinata, the XO of the Invictus. I hope we work together well."

"I wish the same, Hyuuga Hinata," Shikamaru stated.

Hana came in. She blinked. "You have a very… pointy brain. Oh, where are my manners? I'm Inuzuka Hana, the Tactical Officer."

"And you have a very squishy brain. Nice to meet you, Inuzuka Hana," Shikamaru said good naturedly.

Tenten stepped in and went straight over to the Mainframe. "Everything looks stable. Nothing's shorted out or exploded."

"Creator Tenten? Thank you for giving me life. It is an invaluable gift," Shikamaru said, overcome with emotion.

"No problem, Shikamaru. Happy to build you," Tenten said, patting the Mainframe.

Fu wandered in. "Hi, Shikamaru. I'm Fu and we have something in common: both of us are Uzu creations."

"Not quite the same, as I am synthetic and you are organic. But still, welcome, sister," Shikamaru pointed out.

Gaara walked in, his hair having grown a few more inches and his height topping out at 6'1 in the few hours since his last load. His transformation was complete. "Greetings, Shikamaru. I am Gaara, Comms Officer."

"Greetings, Gaara. I am Shikamaru, the Ship Assistant. I look forward to working together with you," Shikamaru said politely.

Sakura hesitantly walked in. "Hello? Haruno Sakura. I'm the Medical Officer. You're Shikamaru, right?"

"Indeed. Tell me, is your hair color natural?" Shikamaru asked curiously.

"What I was born with, at least," she quibbled.

Naruto nodded. "Well, that's everyone. We'll leave you with Tenten to connect you to the rest of the ship's systems. If you want to talk to any of us, we all have wrist communicators. Goodbye, Shikamaru, and happy birthday."

"Happy birthday!" The rest of the Pack cheered, even if Sauske said it grudgingly. They all filed out except for Tenten who was happily chatting with Shikamaru while running wires and connecting power couplings.

"He seemed nice enough. Though I wonder how high his bar is for what he considers 'troublesome'," Hinata said, using air quotes.

"If nothing else, he'll be interesting to talk to. He doesn't have to protect us from hacks or help Tenten's research or anything he doesn't want to do," Naruto said firmly.

Sasuke shook his head. "God help us, you see it as a person."

"He, Sasuke, not it," Naruto corrected, confirming Sasuke's suspicion.

"Weird having a crewmate without a body. Could we make him an android to occupy?" Hana wondered.

"That's an idea. If that fails, we can just go in there to meet him. Psychic Hacking can take us inside electronic systems," Naruto asserted.

Fu tilted her head. "Whatever happened to Orchimaru's AI? He must have had one."

Gaara cleared his throat. "The AI known as Nexus vanished some 40,000 years ago. The Suna have no clue as to the whereabouts of its Mainframe."

Naruto rose a brow. "Huh. Wonder whatever happened to it."

Sasuke paused. "Wait… what was its name?"

"Nexus. Why?"

Sasuke's mind was racing. "The Ganymede Incident… the op that created the AI was labeled Project Nexus."

They all paused in the hallway.

"Maybe it's a coincidence," Fu offered.

"Or maybe the Konoha Federation found Nexus' Mainframe and tried to reverse-engineer it with disastrous results," Hana said.

"Why try to figure something out on your own when you can take apart an existing example?" Sasuke said bitterly. "That's exactly the kind of lazy greed I can see R&D succumbing to."

"But if every Konoha attempt at AI has really just been a malformed clone of Nexus, why would it always try to destroy humanity?" Hinata wondered.

"Like Shikamaru said, who would kill their parents? An ugly, disfigured child who hates being born," Sasuke argued.

"Well, fascinating as these revelations have been, we still have jobs to do. Hinata, Hana, Fu, Gaara, and Sakura, you take the Raptor down to Gravitus and go shopping." He handed over a credit stick loaded with 5 million ryo. "This should have you covered. Get lunch while you're at it." Naruto turned to Sasuke. "I have a side project I want you to work on. And I'll spend the day making the arrangements for Gravitus. Ready, run out!"

The girls and Gaara walked into the warm red glow of the 'down' anti-grav tube, as opposed to the blue of the 'up'. Sasuke and Naruto went up to the Bridge. Naruto went to Sasuke's console and pulled up the data he'd transferred from the Fool's Gold. He pulled up a file labeled "Uzumaki Kushina," and stepped back.

"I want you to use my new clearances to find out more about what happened. We know she met my father and became enthralled and it's a safe bet she caused the accident that killed her crew. I want to know where they headed, the planet they landed on, whether they confronted my father or if my mom was kidnapped. This is low priority, but today is a free day so I'd appreciate it if you got to work on it," Naruto told his Patriarch.

Sasuke's eyes were soft as he gave Naruto a hug. "You've wanted these answers all your life. I'll find them, I promise."

Naruto nodded, and then left Sasuke to his task while Naruto went to his desk in his Ready Room. He opened the comm interface and saw he had a couple missed calls from Ichiraku Ayame, the attractive reporter from KFNN.

He left the interface open, then searched through his personal files to find the digital brochure from Oceanus that he had requested. When he clicked on the icon to open it, it unfolded into a holographic display, that showed an attractive brunette walking hand in hand with a handsome young man along a picture perfect beach.

A sultry female voice said, "Oceanus, where dreams become reality..." This was the company's catchphrase, and he rolled his eyes as he clicked on the button that would make the call to the Oceanus Sales Representative. It only took around ten seconds to make the connection, and then a holographic image of a strikingly beautiful blonde rose above his desk. With the money this company was charging, he could well imagine they must have an extremely discriminating hiring policy, choosing only the most attractive of customer facing staff.

"Hello, Sir," the blonde greeted him in her lovely, clear spoken voice. "Thank you for contacting the Oceanus Company. My name is Felicity, how may I assist you today?"

"Good morning, Felicity," Naruto replied. "My name's Uzumaki Naruto. I want to inquire about booking a two week vacation at Oceanus."

"Thank you for choosing Oceanus! When were you hoping to enjoy your stay with us?" Felicity asked, showing rows of pearly white teeth.

"In two days," Naruto said, figuring they could reach Oceanus in less than a day with their Uzu 0.5 Tachyon Drive.

Felicity's smile lost a few molars. "Mr. Uzumaki, may I remind you that the cost of a last-minute reservation will be… substantial."

"I'm a billionaire, Felicity. Money's no object," Naruto said without blinking.

The smile was back. "In that case, let me check our available properties!" She did a little off-screen typing, clearly looking at a separate screen. "Everything is in place. You just need to confirm your choice of resort, transfer the balance, and we will complete preparations for your arrival."

Naruto found a holographic brochure on his console. He flipped through choices of resort, from an Italian Villa to a French Castle. Spying one resort that caught his eye, Naruto selected it. "Done."

"Very good, Sir," Felicity smiled at him indulgently. "And if you would be so kind as to authorise the transfer of the balance?"

The eye watering figure for the two week vacation appeared on the console. Naruto chuckled and pressed a button that would begin the immediate transfer of 345,500 ryo from his account. Felicity nodded when the transfer had shown to be complete on her own console, and then beamed a big smile at him.

"I hope you have a truly amazing time on your vacation with us, Sir," she told him pleasantly.

"Oh, I plan to," Naruto grinned. "Thanks for your help, Felicity,"

"It was my pleasure," she replied with a smile, and with a nod, he closed the connection.

The vacation out of the way, Naruto figured he'd check in on Shino about the award ceremony. He dialed his friend's number. The beshaded man appeared in a holo-image.

"Good morning, Naruto," Shino greeted him warmly.

"Same to you, Shino," Naruto replied with a smile. "I was wondering if you had any news on the scheduling for the award ceremony?"

"Would 2000 tonight be alright with you?" Shino asked him cautiously. "We can push it back to tomorrow if that's too soon?"

"That would be perfect, thanks!" Naruto replied with a grin. "How formal is this going to be, exactly?"

"Formal. Full dress uniform please, Naruto," the Vice Admiral requested politely.

*Oh, we'll show up in dress uniform. Just not K-Fed dress uniform,* Hinata projected.

*What are you up to, minx?* Naruto interrogated

*The Uzumaki Pack are stepping onto the stage in a big way. After all, you're a Consultant. You're not officially Navy anymore, why wear the uniform?*

"We'll be there," Naruto told Shino, having learned that the only response when Hinata got determined was to smile and nod.

"Alright, we'll see you later then. I'll send my assistant to come escort you." With that, Shino ended the call.

Remembering his missed calls, he pulled up the number for Ichiraku Ayame. A pressed button and the pretty woman appeared above his desk.

"Ichiraku Ayame, KFNN," she said politely.

"Hi, this is Uzumaki Naruto. I believe you wanted to arrange another interview?" he asked her in a friendly tone.

When she realized who was calling her, her dark eyes went wide with excitement. "Thanks for calling me back! I'd love to give you another interview, that last one was so well received! When can you spare some time?"

"I'm free this afternoon, but the Pack and I have an award ceremony to go to this evening. I'll be free tomorrow though," Naruto said accommodatingly.

"The Pack?" Ayame asked him curiously.

"My crew," Naruto clarified for her. "We're being awarded a medal for our intervention at Iota Leonis."

The young reporter seemed to become even more enthusiastic when she heard that. "We've had sketchy reports about the battle, but I hadn't heard about this award ceremony. Do you think I could attend, and bring a film crew?"

"It's fine by me, but I'd run it by Vice Admiral Aburame Shino first," Naruto advised her with a smile.

"We can make a real feature of it," the young reporter said, buzzing with excitement. "Okay, I'll set everything up! Thanks so much, Commander Uzumaki."

"You're very welcome, and you can call me Naruto, remember?" he chuckled.

"Thanks, Naruto, I'll be in touch!" Ayame said with a grin.

That call done, Naruto could only think of one more thing he had to do. He pulled up Rock Lee's number and initiated a call. And waited. And waited. Naruto held out, betting he was more stubborn than this hermit. After ten minutes, Naruto was starting to wonder if Lee had changed numbers when the holo-image of an Asian man with a black bowl-cut and thick eyebrows appeared. "Who are you and what do you want?" He demanded in a harsh voice.

"Uzumaki Naruto. I need to learn how to fight with a sword. It's a matter of life and death," Naruto said simply, figuring directness was the way to go.

Rock Lee raised one of those bushy brows. "You are fighting for real? Not for sport?"

"That is correct."

"Fighting with a blade is about killing. Have you killed with a blade before?"

"Yes. It was a crude effort, but I did," Naruto answered, remembering the Kusa Warboss.

The man sat back, and looked away for a long moment, staring into the distance as he pondered his decision. Finally, his hawk-like eyes fixed upon Naruto once more.

"I will train you. Prepare your equipment," he said cryptically, and ended the call.

Naruto sat back, feeling an odd mixture of relief and confusion, after the call with the strange man. He stared out the window for a while, thinking back over the conversation, when the console beeped softly, drawing his attention. He saw that he had received an incoming message from a Rock Lee. There was no text on the message, other than a list of simulation devices and communications boosting equipment. With a shrug, Naruto did a quick search, found a number of retailers that stocked the listed equipment, and began to place his orders, with the delivery address destination set for Oceanus.

Naruto had just finished placing the last of the orders, when Hinata's voice suddenly appeared in his mind.

*Hey, handsome. We had lunch in a five-star restaurant. The food wasn't as good as yours. They didn't have the special ingredient of love you put into every bite.*

*I'm flattered you think so highly of my cooking, honey,* Naruto thought back.

*We'll be a couple more hours. Having eight custom uniforms made on the spot apparently takes some time. Right now we're all modeling swimwear. Everyone's staring at Gaara, but he says he's fine with it. I'd reward him with a REAL fuck when we get back if I were you.*

*Duly noted. Now, I'm about to do something that will make you really upset, but it has to be done.*

Hinata plucked the secret from his mind and gave a melancholy sigh. *I hate the necessity, and I'd argue it's an unnecessary precaution, but from a purely logical standpoint it makes sense. I would keep this hidden from the others though. I'll be your secret keeper.*

*Thanks for being so understanding honey. I just want you guys to be taken care of if something happens to me.* Giving a mental kiss, Naruto did a quick search and made another call.

"Brooks and Lartner, Attorney services," the middle aged woman said as she answered his call, and appeared as a hologram above his desk.

"Hello there. My name's Uzumaki Naruto, and I'd like to draw up a will," he stated politely.

The next two hours were filled with a bunch of legalese and back and forth with a Brooks Winthrop, the receptionist having transferred him to a partner once she realized the scale of his assets. Naruto didn't see what all the endless questions were about. His wishes were simple enough: if he died, all his worldly possessions would be split between his crew and any of their children. Given all he had was the Invictus and 5.6 billion ryo, it shouldn't have taken as long as it did.

Exhausted mentally, Naruto ended the call after giving his signature to make the nascent last will and testament official. Standing up and stretching, Naruto walked out of his Ready Room to an unusual sight.

Saskue was bent over his console, swiping and typing at speed. Bent over him in hologram was a being made of purple light, and was obviously modeled after the Beta Uzu build. He had an angular, almost deer-like face and his hair was tied back in a high ponytail that looked like a pineapple.

"Shikamaru, I presume. You look good," Naruto said, wondering if there was something wrong with him if he wanted to suck a holographic cock.

"I feel good. This ship is a nice body to have. It would be better if everything besides my brain were composed of Uzu electronics, but that will come with time. At the moment, I'm just happy for the chance to expand. Being trapped with just an eye, an ear, and my thoughts was troublesome," the hologram of the AI's physical representation answered.

"I take back everything I ever said about AI, he's invaluable as an ally. He's smarter than us and can do ten different things at once. Though we 'did' have to have a short ethics lesson about why hacking is bad… if you get caught," Sasuke told his Alpha.

"I've never done it before, but no offense, I think I could skip through Konoha firewalls like a ninja on my first try," Shikamaru grumbled.

"You probably could. But I'd feel better if you'd wait for our eventual Intelligence Officer to teach you," Naruto told him.

"Fine. By the way, the Raptor is 53 seconds from Docking with us at Fu's current speed," the AI said nonchalantly.

"Thanks for telling us. Shall we go meet them?" Naruto asked.

Shikamaru smirked. "I'm already there. You'll catch on." With that, his hologram vanished.

"I've been talking with Tenten, making sure she was monitoring him. Apparently Shikamaru has ten selves the way we have ten fingers. His Mainframe is strong enough to run multiple copies of his consciousness, and they're all linked like the Pack mind, learning and adapting from each other. It's adversarial machine learning in its highest form." Sasuke shook his head. "He could find a way to kill us with the cleaning robots if he wanted to."

"Fortunately, he doesn't want to. Remember, Sasuke, the only way to earn trust is to give it." Naruto patted him on the shoulder. "Let's go greet the shoppers. Then I'll get to work on an early dinner since we skipped lunch."

Sasuke blinked. "I didn't even notice, I was working so hard."

"You, me, and Tenten too, probably. Anyway, follow me," Naruto ordered.

Naruto and Sasuke went for Deck 9, taking a brief detour to grab Tenten from talking to a Shikamaru in her Engineering Bay. They went down to the Docking Bay and met the shoppers just as they were disgorging from the Raptor.

"Welcome back," Shikamaru greeted them, assuming control of the speakers in the room.

Hinata turned her head towards the nearest camera. "Thanks, Shikamaru!" She waved, despite carrying six bags on her arm. She turned to the physical members of the crew and gave each a quick kiss. "We made out like bandits. Less than half of this thing spent," she said, tossing Naruto the credit stick. "We have tons of beach gear. I almost got us boogie boards but I figured that would be a bit much. And Gaara and Sakura have full wardrobes for every occasion."

"Good job, honey," Naruto grinned. *Is Gaara still upset?* He asked privately.

*It's really hitting him that he's not a Suna anymore but he's not an Uzu like us either. I'd really make tonight about him,* she answered.

Naruto nodded, and then stepped forward to hug the other shoppers, giving big ones to Gaara and Sakura, who looked overwhelmed. "You babes have fun?" He asked.

"Giving passerby heart attacks while modeling swimwear was fun," Hana chuckled.

"You're going to love the dress uniforms Hinata made!" Fu said excitedly.

"It was curious, having extreme wealth. I can see how such preferential treatment can lead to arrogance," Gaara mused.

"It was a real head trip to be a client at the boutique I used to work at. All the girls gave me death glares," Sakura said with a shrug.

"Well, get everything packed away, and then we can have a drink or two before dinner. Then we've got the award ceremony tonight. Whatever Hinata came up with, I'm sure you'll all look ravishing."

They all took the anti-grav tube up to Deck 2. Naruto, Sasuke, and Tenten were the first to get drinks and sit down.

"Shikamaru, would you prefer if we had holo-projectors installed in every room? That way you could 'be' with us until we get you an android shell," Naruto asked the empty air.

"That would be appreciated. Though even if I got a truly physical body, I would not partake of ethanol. Who knows what I could do to the Invictus while drunk?" Shikamaru spoke through his wrist communicator.

"Altered mental states are sometimes good for your sanity, but I agree with the computer," Sasuke mused.

"Thank you, organic."

Tenten reached over to slap Sasuke's knee. "No dissing my brain child, he has a name. And he's brilliant. We've already made real progress on all my projects, including research for upgrading the Uzu tech!"

"That's great. And have you been communicating with Suna about the elements shipments and progress on the Legacy?" Naruto asked.

Tenten blinked. "You know, I've been so busy the last week I completely forgot. I'll do that tomorrow when we're on the way to Oceanus. While I'm at it, I'll give them the Uzu 0.5 tech. They're our allies, more so than the K-Fed, we should throw them a bone."

"The Vice Admiral in me balks at that statement, but I agree," Sasuke said.

The rest of the Pack walked in, having finished packing away their clothes. Naruto noted with approval that Gaara had finally changed out of his High Councillor robes and that Sakura was in nothing but one of his white shirts. She sent him a flirtatious smile.

"Sakura fancied a different kind of 'drink' before dinner," Hinata said with a naughty grin.

Sakura prowled over to him, swaying her hips like a catwalk model. She gave him a wanton look, then pushed him back into the chair, and sank to her knees in front of him.

He lost himself in the glorious sensations of her hot, wet mouth, as she sucked on him eagerly, and he realised he needed the release more than ever. He cupped her head in his hands protectively, and stared into her flashing green eyes as she gazed up at him longingly. With a groan of deep satisfaction he began to cum, and she sucked him with long, hungry motions as his spunk began to fill up her empty stomach. It didn't take long for her to drain him completely dry, and soon the contents of his four balls were now neatly packed into her belly.

Naruto offered her a hand, and she gladly accepted, rising a little awkwardly with the heavy weight of his load filling out her waistline. He pulled her to him, and she sat sideways across his lap with her back supported by his left arm. His white shirt was now pulled taut across her swollen midriff, so he carefully undid the buttons, and peeled back the soft cotton to reveal the smooth skin beneath.

"How are you doing? Still finding this weird?" he asked her kindly, as he began to gently stroke her rounded belly with his hand.

"No, I love it," Sakura murmured ecstatically, as she relished his touch.

"Do you think that's because you've grown to enjoy it, or because you've been changed by me to like it?" he asked her probingly.

"I don't honestly know, and even after all my tests are complete, I'm not sure if I'll be able to tell you anything that specific. I just know that carrying your cum feels amazing, and I don't care why I feel this way, I'm just happy that I do," she told him with a little shiver of pleasure.

Mollified by her explanation, his thoughts turned to tonight. "You want to join us at the award ceremony? After all, you are part of the crew."

"No, thanks. For one thing, I don't quite fit into my uniform yet. For another, I wasn't part of the crew yet when you obliterated that Heavy Carrier. I'll just go as moral support," Sakura listed.

"And I cannot come, for the same reason and also because to appear I would have to hack Olympus Shipyard, which I do not believe you would approve," Shikamaru spoke up from Naruto's wrist.

"Okay. So it's just me, Hinata, Sasuke, Hana, Tenten, Fu, and Gaara dressing up tonight. I must admit, I'm curious about these uniforms you had made," Naruto wondered.

"You'll see around 1900 tonight, Commodore," Hinata teased, sipping her vodka spritzer.

They chatted over drinks for a couple hours, then Naruto made a nice meatloaf with carrots and peas and mashed cauliflower as an alternative to potatoes. Gaara hesitantly used his new teeth to chew the meat and, when he didn't vomit it back up as he half-expected, ate the rest of the meal with relish. Shikamaru asked them random questions about their past and history, trying to fill in the gaps he had from listening to every hour and watching every frame of footage the Invictus had recorded since Naruto purchased it.

Afterwards, they all had a nice long shower to relax, and then Hinata revealed their dress uniforms, opening them from garment bags.

Naruto blinked. They were clearly modeled after Konoha Federation uniforms, but in snow white like Invictium rather than grey. More importantly, they had the figure-hugging lines and curves of the Beta and Thrall Armors. Sasuke and Gaara would look like swimmers wearing bodysuits while the girls would be just this side of slutty in their tight trousers and long black boots. Each uniform had, in a silvery thread, a copy of his wolf necklace howling over their left breast. His own uniform, which was tailored to make him seem big and masculine as possible, had a wolf's head dominating the torso, the beast looking out at those that faced him with baleful eyes.

"We'll cause a stir, I'll definitely give you that," Naruto finally said.

Hinata grinned. "That's the idea. I designed these myself. I want it clear, even to those not in the know, that we're an Uzu crew, not a Konoha crew. What's everyone else think?"

"They're beautiful, Hinata," Hana grinned.

"I'll feel like a piece of meat but I'll wear it," Sasuke said grudgingly.

Tenten grabbed hers. "These are so cool!"

"I'm glad you found a way to show off the Pack's uniqueness," Fu said proudly.

"It will be an interesting experience, I'm sure," Gaara mused.

Sakura shrugged, rubbing her slimmed down stomach. "I'll be wearing the one dress I brought to Port Medea. If I wore any of the clothes the girls modeled for me today, I'd fall out of them because of the bust."

The Pack all got dressed, Naruto, Sasuke, and Hana pinning on their various medals. Hana noticed one in particular on Naruto's. "You have a Stellar Cluster?" She asked in awe, staring at the gold representation of a sword over three stars, the highest honor the Konoha Federation had ever given.

Naruto rubbed the back of his head. "I just fought off some bad guys at the siege of Galon Prime, no big deal."

"And saved my life. Itachi would have taken note of that. You can probably thank him for that," Sasuke mused.

They all out on their peaked white hats, which were noticeably absent of the Konoha Federation insignia. They took turns complimenting Sakura, who was in a long green dress that highlighted her eyes. Then they marched down the corridor to the anti-grav tube and out the airlock promptly at 1930.

Konohamaru was waiting for them, ready to escort them to the award chamber. He took one look at bevy of tightly-dressed beautiful women approaching and his eyes all but popped out of his head. "Wow…" he breathed.

"Good to see you again, Lieutenant Sarutobi," Naruto said with amusement.

"You too, Commander! Err I mean Commodore, Sir," the flustered Lieutenant replied.

"I thought that was supposed to be an unofficial promotion?" Naruto asked him curiously.

The young officer grew red-faced with embarrassment. "It is, Sir. I remember reading the order for your promotion, I just forgot you're still officially a civilian," he explained shamefacedly.

"Don't worry about it, I'm sure that kind of thing happens all the time," Naruto said in a blasé fashion. "I won't tell anyone if you don't," he added with a conspiratorial wink.

Konohamaru laughed, and then smiled with relief. "You're very kind, Sir. Now if you'd like to follow me, I'll lead you to the hall for the award ceremony."

"Lead away, Sir," Naruto said playfully, and the girls smiled encouragingly at the Lieutenant, who flushed, and turned away to lead them out of the hangar, stumbling a step as he went.

Everyone who saw them took a second or even third look, leaving a trail of devastation in their wake. They marched after Konohamaru in the same order they'd joined the crew, Naruto in the lead.

*Maybe you should have reined in your uniform designs a little,* Naruto said teasingly. *They're the right side of decent, but combined with how hot we all are, they'll end up causing a riot.*

*No, they're perfect,* Hinata said smugly. *Besides, it does them good to get this kind of attention. I can feel all of them growing more confident.*

Naruto glanced behind him, and he could see everyone walking taller, with sparkling smiles on their beautiful faces. Of course, this compounded the effect it was having on the shipyard personnel. He was somewhat relieved when they arrived at a big set of double doors, and Lieutenant Sarutobi led them into a reception area.

Aburame Shino was waiting there, along with the pale skinned reporter that Naruto had spoken to twice before, but never met personally. She smiled at him happily when he strode into the room, but when she saw his entourage, she waved her cameraman over frantically, pulling the man away from the canapés.

"Naruto, It's good to see you," Shino said, as he walked over to greet them. He glanced over the assembled girls and guys, recognising them all, until he stopped at Gaars and Sakura with a raised eyebrow.

"Likewise, Shino. This is Doctor Haruno Sakura, the newest addition to my team. And I don't believe you've met Gaara, my Comms Officer," Naruto said by way of introduction. "You two, this is Vice Admiral Shino Aburame. He's an old comrade-in-arms, and also sold me the Invictus."

"It's a pleasure to meet you Vice Admiral," the young woman said confidently.

"I feel I already know you, with how the crew mentions you," Gaara said quietly, still not used to his physical voice.

"The pleasure's all mine, Doctor Voss," Shino said with a smile and a polite bow, before turning back to face Naruto "What did I warn you about Fleet morale?" he added playfully.

"Okay, okay, I'll start looking further afield if we do any more recruiting," Naruto laughed good naturedly.

Shino turned to Gaara. "Nice to meet you, Gaara. I have to ask, what are you? You have the look of both a Grey and a human."

"I am indeed a hybrid," Gaara answered, not mentioning what 'kind' of hybrid.

The young reporter walked up to greet them, and she thrust out her hand to Naruto when she arrived. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Naruto!" she said eagerly. "Ichiraku Ayame, KFNN."

*She's pretty. Feel like recruiting a publicist?* Hinata asked.

Naruto did his best to keep a straight face as he shook the young woman's hand. "I recognise you from our earlier conversations, Ayame. It's lovely to meet you in person." he said pleasantly.

The reporter turned to look at the girls and guys arrayed around him, and she practically bounced with excitement. "Your crew are so photogenic, John! I know it's a huge thing to ask, but would you mind if we took a few shots of you all together?"

Naruto held seven telepathic conversations almost instantaneously. Everyone but Sakura was okay with it. "Those of us who are getting a medal today are up for a photo shoot," he said in a friendly manner.

Ayame nodded immediately, eager for any photo opportunity with the stunningly attractive young women and men involved. Sakura faded into the background, and walked over to speak with Shino, while Naruto and the other crew moved over to a well-lit area to take some pictures to be used for holo-images.

The cameraman grinned happily as he focused the lens on the crew, and between him and Ayame, they had Naruto and the Pack pose for the camera in a variety of positions. After they had finished, they brought the camera over to Naruto, so he could give final approval of any shots they could use. Ayame was overjoyed when he signed off one with him standing with his hands behind his back, looking off into the distance, with the girls draped around him and the men, smoldering into the camera.

"This is going to be ratings gold," Ayame swooned, giddy with excitement. "Would you like to do your interview now, or later, Naruto?"

"After the ceremony will be fine," he said with a smile.

The reporter and her cameraman huddled together, and eagerly went through the images they had gathered again, while Naruto and the crew went over to see Shino.

"So what's the plan for the awards ceremony?" Naruto asked.

"Doctor Haruno will keep me company, while you and your crew will walk down the red carpet to the stage. Admiral Senju is the senior officer present at the shipyard at the moment, so she will be presenting the medals," Shino explained in a loud clear voice, so that everyone could hear. "When you all receive your medals, turn and wave at the crowd and cameras, then exit back down the carpet and out to here."

"Admiral Senju? Who's that?" Naruto asked curiously.

"She's in command of the Homeworld Defence Fleet," Sasuke said briefly.

"Ah, I see. Okay, everyone know what we have to do?" Narutk said, looking at each of the crew, and they nodded back at him, their eyes sparkling with excitement.

Shino checked his watch, then touched a finger to his ear, and spoke quietly. He listened for a moment, and nodded as he received confirmation that the ceremony was about to begin. He waved Naruto and the Pack towards the big double doors on the other side of the reception area, and the Naval guards standing on either side swung the doors open.

Naruto took a big breath and then walked forward, with the four girls and two guys following in his wake. He glanced over at Sakura once before they entered the Hall, and she waved back at him as Shino led her behind them, before heading off to the side. Naruto strode inside the Hall, and then almost missed a step, as he took in the vast room before him.

Like their ships, the Konoha Federation liked their ceremonies grand and imposing. The room was huge, with nearly a thousand people standing to either side of the long walkway up to the stage. Even the stage was impressive, being made out of solid marble, and running along the length of the grand hall. There was a podium on the top with several figures in full-dress uniform, and the leaf insignia of the Konoha Federation was embossed on a huge disc, set against the back wall.

Naruto steeled himself, and then walked forward at a steady pace that would be easy for the crew to keep up with. He could almost feel the thousands of eyes watching them avidly, and he spotted several cameras dotted around the room that were tracking them as well. The red carpet ran right up to the marble steps that led up onto the stage, so he walked carefully up those steps, and then strode over to the side of the podium. He turned to face the huge crowd, before standing at attention, and the girls followed his lead, lined up in their descending rank order to his side.

Admiral Senju was a beautiful looking middle aged woman, with her blonde hair tied up in two ponytails underneath her peaked hat. She walked towards the marble lectern, and once attention in the hall had switched to her, she began to speak.

"We are assembled here today, to honor a hero of the Konoha Federation. A short while ago, Commander Uzumaki Naruto and his valiant crew intervened in the Iota Leonis system, and defiantly fought off a brutal attack by a rogue Kumo Warband.

Utilizing experimental Konoha Federation weaponry, they proceeded to take out the lead ship of the Warband, a Heavy Carrier, in under thirty seconds, proving the effectiveness of these new upgrades. They were so effective, in fact, that the rest of the Warband promptly surrendered before a single Konoha life had been lost.

Thousands of Konoha Federation personnel owe their lives to your courageous intervention on that day, and it is my great privilege to promote you from Commander to Commodore," Admiral Senju said, then turned towards Naruto and saluted.

Naruto managed to mask his surprise at the public promotion, and turned to salute her in turn. He saw the flash of a gold insignia in her hand, so he walked up the steps to face the older woman.

"Congratulations, Commodore Uzumaki. The Konoha Federation sorely needs men of your caliber," she said earnestly, her kindly eyes twinkling at him as she spoke.

"It's an honor to serve, Admiral," Naruto replied sincerely.

She handed him his new rank insignia, and he saluted her again before returning to join the crew. Admiral Senju turned to face the crowd once more.

"We wish to acknowledge the heroic work of Commodore Uzumaki's crew, the Uzumaki Pack, as well, so it is my great pleasure to award them each this medal," she said, holding one up for the cameras to zoom in on, so that it could be displayed on the large holo view-screens on the walls.

The medal was made of gold, and depicted a lion roaring defiantly at a dragon. "As you defended the Leonis system, we award you the Lion Defender medal," she said with a smile.

She turned to face the Invictus' crew, and then walked down the line, clicking the medal into place on the chests of Naruto and the crew. The holo-cameras zoomed in on the crew, and Admiral Senju faced the crowd for a final time.

"We thank you, Wolves of the Konoha Federation," she said with a broad smile, and the thousands of people assembled in the hall rose to their feet, and began to cheer and applaud.

Naruto looked at the crew with a smile, then grinned at the crowd, and waved his acknowledgement. The girls and guys waved cutely as well, sparkling beaming smiles, and the volume in the grand hall intensified. He spotted Shino at the back of the hall beckoning to him, and so he turned to face the crew, and gestured for them to walk ahead.

They walked out of the hall, with the echoing cheers following behind them. The guards swung the doors closed, and the cacophonous applause quieted to a dull roar.

"Oh my God! That was such a rush," Tenten squeaked in excitement.

"My family's going to see that," Hana said, her eyes wide with shock, having had no idea of the scale of the award ceremony.

"That was thrilling," Fi gasped gleefully. "All those people assembled to honor you, Naruto!"

"That was an even grander event than I anticipated. Admiral Senju might be working an angle," Sauske mused.

"I worry that Fu and I messed up the symmetry of the crew," Gaara fretted.

"How about you, did you enjoy that, Commodore?" Hinata asked him with a wide grin.

"I can't deny that was a lot more fun than I expected," Naruto said as he returned her grin, then he turned to face Shino as he walked over to join them. "I thought the promotion was supposed to be unofficial though?"

"Sorry about that, Admiral Senju must have decided to throw in a little last minute surprise," Shino said through gritted teeth.

"Maybe she thought that it would be even better PR? If so, she was right! Everyone loves to see a hero receiving his laurels," Ichiraku Ayame said with delight, as she strode up to them, followed closely by her trusty cameraman.

"We got some amazing shots of you guys!" the cameraman said excitedly.

"Are you ready to give the interview now, Commodore?" Ayame asked Naruto eagerly. It seemed that his recent promotion had made her forget about his polite invitation for her to use his first name.

"Sure, let's find a quiet spot," Naruto said, and the Konoha Federation Network News team led him away.

* * *

The brooding figure grinned with excitement as he experienced the thrill of the hunt once more. One of his contacts at the Olympus Shipyard had reported seeing Uzumaki Naruto at some kind of award ceremony, and he had his pawns in place to spring the trap.

He gloated as he sank back on his gothic throne. This had been the longest he'd ever taken to fulfil a contract, but he could almost taste victory, and the imminent demise of his quarry. He reached over to the console and pressed a button to activate the comm interface.

"You might have been a most elusive target, Mr Uzumaki, but all fall to me in the end," he said with grim satisfaction.

* * *

**Please fave, follow, or review.**


	31. Chapter 31

**Thank you all who have gotten this far. I hope you stay with me until the end.**

* * *

Naruto woke up feeling refreshed and happy. After the interview last night, the Pack had retreated to the Invictus around 2200. Shikamaru had been a loyal guard and reported that no one had attempted to breach the ship, physically or digitally. They'd all gotten undressed, and then split into four pairs to 69, Sakura getting the lucky spot to blow Naruto while the boys and girls paired up. The psychic feedback had them all exploding and rebounding against each other in pleasure, until it finally ended when the Alpha's endurance was breached and he unloaded down the doctor's throat.

Naruto looked down at his sleeping mates, pausing on Gaara. He'd forgotten his promise to give the telepath individual attention last night. Wanting to fix that, Naruto used Telekinesis to float out of bed and not disturb anyone. He set down on the floor and gently shook the Grey Thrall awake.

*Come with me to your room,* Naruto instructed the drowsy Comms Officer.

*Okay?* Gaara replied, slipping out of spooning Sasuke.

The two padded naked to Gaara's unused room which was more a glorified closet. Naruto led Gaara by the hand into the shower. Then, once they were both under the water, began to make out with him.

*What brought this on? Not that I'm complaining!* Gaara thought enthusiastically.

Naruto slipped his tongue into the alien's mouth even as he began to frot against his ten-inch cock. *Hinata told me how you felt like you were being stared at, and I picked up how self-conscious you were about your appearance at the award ceremony. I'm doing this to assure you that I find you to be beautiful.*

Gaara paused. *I knew I was going to be a freak going into this. Orochimaru never enthralled the Suna, he just dominated us with psychic might. And I'm a male on top of that. I'm the first Suna-Uzu male hybrid in history. People are going to stare at me, that's just a fact of life now.*

Naruto hugged his lover close to him. *I'm sorry people stare. But you can't control how they feel, only how you feel. Think of yourself as unique and handsome and others will fall in line. I love you, Gaara. You know my soul better than maybe even Hinata.*

Gaara nuzzled into Naruto's neck. *I love you too. I've loved you from the moment I left your perfectly imperfect mind and realized what an incredible man you are.*

The encounter turned out more sweet than sexy. Naruto didn't end up fucking Gaara into forgetting his worries, but their intimate shower was probably more effective at treating the problem. Afterwards, Gaara helped Naruto make croissants, using Psychic Fire and Ice to shortcut the usually hours-long process.

When the pastries were finished, Naruto mentally called to the Pack. They filed naked into the Lounge, smiling and giving the chef his obligatory kiss before taking a croissant and adding their pick of jams, jellies, and other condiments.

"We're all booked at Oceanus. I told them we'd be there by tomorrow. How long would it take to get there, honey?" Naruto asked his Navigator.

Hinata looked up into her head as she brought up her mental atlas. She'd memorized the layout of the hundreds of systems under Konoha Federation command. She calculated their route with her warp tunneling and their Uzu 0.5 Tachyon Drive. "About 8 hours," she said, figuring he didn't need to know she'd calculated down to the minute.

"I have 12 hours. What did I do wrong?" Shikamaru asked through the speakers.

"You forgot to account for Hinata's special warp tunneling technique," Tenten told her creation helpfully.

"Ah, yes. Am I allowed to access the holo-net? I promise not to copy myself and take it over," Shikamaru said jokingly.

Sasuke got a look of true alarm on his face, but Naruto laid a hand on his shoulder and gave him a look. "Sure, Shikamaru. Have fun reading. Just stay away from the Dark Net. You don't need to be mentally scarred by what you find there."

"I'll leave one self behind to stay with you, while the nine of me absorb the sum of human knowledge. Wish me luck!" With that, Shikamaru left them.

"He's quite the interesting character. Hard to believe he's only a day old. Makes you wonder how knowledgeable and wise he'll be in a year or a thousand," Fu mused.

"So, did you get that sword tutor you wanted?" Hana asked.

"Yes, actually. He ordered I get a bunch of simulation equipment. Tenten, you won't mind installing it during our vacation, would you?" Naruto asked.

"Upgrading the comms interface? That's my idea of fun!" Tenten said with a cheer, before munching on a croissant with about a half pound of butter on it.

"Ayame tell you when the interview would air?" Sasuke asked.

"Sometime in the next two days, depending on how long it takes to get approval from the KFNN editors. This our second piece in as many months, people might start to recognize us," Naruto said jokingly.

"That is not a bad thing. The more public support you have, the less likely High Command will turn on you when they discover your full power," Gaara pointed out, his political mind calculating every angle.

Naruto took a bite of his cream cheese and marmalade croissant. "I hope it never comes to that, but fine. The idea of becoming some kind of celebrity or hero is a bit trippy, but I'll deal with it for the good of the crew."

Hinata chuckled. "Just imagine, even more people throwing themselves at you!" She laughed out loud at the thought.

Naruto gave a helpless shrug. "Doesn't really matter if they do. XO is in charge of recruitment."

"That I am. And I'm going to get this Kakashi when we visit him in a couple weeks!" Hinata said determinedly.

Naruto shrugged. "If anyone can get an Oto to take off their armor, it'd be you, honey."

Sasuke tilted his head and smirked. "You got a crush on an Oto? He must have a great personality."

"He's a very smart trader and a very nice man. I have no idea how old he is, but I bet he's older than me," Naruto replied.

Sakura sighed. "What I'd give to have a look at Oto DNA. Doctors and geneticists have been wondering for centuries."

"Don't you already have a project at the moment?" Hana pointed out.

"I should be done with the Uzu analysis by the end of the vacation. Then I can start on Gaara and Fu, if they'll let me," she added. She blinked and realized she'd forgot to put on her glasses that morning. Yet she'd never seen so clear. She made a mental note to add to her official report in the Uzu conversion process.

"So, what do we do today? Have more fun in Gravitus?"

Naruto grinned. "We're just a hop skip and a jump away from Konoha. I could take you guys to my family's restaurant, show you all around, tour the town I grew up in."

Everyone perked up at that idea. "I'd love that! And we can look at the psychic remnants to get glimpses of your grandparents, maybe even your mom!" Hinata said excitedly.

Naruto blinked. "I hadn't even thought of that. Thank God I'm attracted to smart women!"

They got dressed for the day in casual clothes and made for the Bridge. When the got there, they all sat in their stations, Hinata turning Fu's pilot station on for the first time. The green girl gasped and turned to her Matriarch.

"Really? You think I'm ready?"

"You're a pro with the Raptor. Just be aware the Invictus is quite a bit bigger and slower to turn."

Fu hugged Hinata and then made for the Pilot's Chair, dead center in the Bridge in front of Naruto's Command Chair.

*You sure about this?* Naruto asked

*Maybe it's all the swimming, but her spatial reasoning in 3D is better than mine. Once she gets the hang of the old girl, she'll be better than I ever was.*

Naruto nodded and turned to Gaara. "Patch me through to Shino, I want to say goodbye."

Gaara nodded and opened the comm interface. The holo-image of the Vice Admiral appeared above them.

"Morning, Naruto. What's your reason for calling?" The amateur entomologist asked.

"Just wanted to let you know we'd be leaving. We're taking a day trip to Konoha and then going off to Oceanus before heading for the Oto," Naruto stated.

"Have fun, you lucky rascal."

"Oh, one last thing Shino. What's going on with my retired and/or still on-the-books status?" he asked curiously. "Since my rather public promotion, I don't know what the official line is any more."

"Yes, that did rather throw the cat among the pigeons," Shino replied, his brow furrowed with irritation. "I've been trying to clarify your status myself..."

Naruto raised an eyebrow as he looked at the older man impatiently, then asked him, "So what's the verdict?"

Shino gave him an exasperated shrug. "Business as usual until it gets clarified. You're still a free man and are outside the Chain of Command, but now you have a higher rank if you need to get things done."

"I can live with that," Naruto grinned.

Shino let out a dry chuckle. "Yes, I'm sure you can," he said to Naruto with a wry smile, and ended the call.

That done, they made to leave the Shipyard. Fu received clearance to leave the docking bay, and after a few final checks, the Invictus lifted off the ground with the aid of its retrothrusters. The engines powered up with a throaty rumble, and the glistening white Assault Cruiser left the confines of the Olympus Shipyard, and began to make its way to the Nav Beacon. She stuck to port speed, and the Invictus slotted in behind a massive Battlecruiser as it made its ponderous way out of the dockyard section of Olympus.

They were only a few minutes from the jump point, when the comm interface flashed, alerting them that they had an incoming call.

"It's from a Koeman Peter," Gaara said as he looked at the caller details, then glanced at Naruto.

Naruto shrugged helplessly. "Never heard of him, sorry. Let's see who he is, though."

Gaara flicked the switch and a jolly looking man in his late forties appeared on screen.

"This is Commodore Uzumaki Naruto of the Invictus, how may I help you?" Naruto asked politely.

"Commodore? My name is Koeman Peter. You saved my sister from the Nuke. I'd like to thank you and give you a gift," Peter said. And he was lying. Naruto didn't know how he knew, maybe it was a passive power of the Uzu, but he knew deep down in his gut that what Koeman just said was utter bullshit.

"Could you hold for one minute. I have another call," Naruto said with a fake grin. When he got a hesitant nod, he had Gaara put the call on hold.

*He wasn't telling the truth, I felt it too,* Hinata thought at him.

*Sounds like he wanted to lure you somewhere for an ambush,* Sasuke reasoned.

Naruto nodded and spoke aloud. "Shikamaru? You're on the holo-net, I want everything on a Koeman Peter. You have my blessing to hack to get information, just don't get caught."

"Searching… compiling… report complete. Koeman Peter is an only child who works as a jewel trader in the Theta Serpentis system. According to his phone records, he's had multiple calls over the years from an encrypted number. I'm not confident enough to unlock or trace the call without alerting the source," the Shikamaru that stayed with them answered after ten seconds.

*Jewel trader? Maybe he's who Momochi used to get his money! This could be an attempt at revenge,* Hana argued.

*What do we do, Naruto?* Fu asked, trusting his decision completely.

Naruto considered it. "Put him back on, Gaara. I want to try something."

Gaara faithfully hit the button on the comm interface. Koeman Peter's worried face appeared.

Naruto set his face in stone and suddenly an aura of unimaginable power and intimidation began to surround him. "Koeman Peter. You are a liar. You have no sister, we just checked your records. We also know you've been in contact with a certain… individual. Tell me what you know and I won't hunt you down and MAKE you tell me."

Koeman went straight to panic. "I-I-I don't know what you're talking about!"

"More lies. You don't want me as your enemy, Peter. Tell me who you work for and I'll take them out before any harm befalls you." Naruto spoke in a smooth, drawling tone that slithered in your ear like a snake.

Koeman started to shake. "You can't. He's everywhere. He's invincible."

"Look at me, Peter. Look into my eyes. Do you see any fear? Whoever he is, he's no match for me."

Koeman was actually crying in fear. "You don't know what you're up against. Everyone knows pain." With that, he cut off the call.

Naruto clicked his teeth. "Damn. I thought I had him."

"What was with that… presence you gave off?" Hinata asked.

"I just projected raw psionic energy off my body. Figured it would make me more imposing," Naruto asked.

"You succeeded. I think we should call that trick Alpha mode," Sasuke said with a shiver.

"What did he mean at the end? 'Everyone knows pain'? Was that a warning of some kind?" Hana wondered.

"Tenten, could you hack the encryption on that call Koeman's employer used?" Gaara asked.

Tenten swiped her console to pull up the data. She whistled. "I almost want to say this is alien. It's beyond Konoha Federation military-grade firewalls. I'm stumped. I could crack it, but I'd be like a bull in a china shop. They'd know we were after them."

"Damn. Well, we know that 'someone' is after me. We don't know why, we don't know who. But I'm confident in our security measures and our combat abilities. I say we not worry about it," Naruto said.

"Just forget about it? Are you serious?" Gaara demanded. "

"Whether there's a hit out on me or not, I won't live my life in fear. We spotted this attempt, we'll spot the next, and eventually this mystery assassin will make a mistake and we'll take him down," Naruto said confidently. "Now onward to Konoha!"

Fu nodded and flew them past the Nav Beacon. Hinata laid in their course, a mere 10 minutes to cross the intervening lightyears between Alpha Centauri and Sol. They arrived after a few short minutes of conversation and appeared in the cradle of humanity with a blue wave of tachyons.

Most of the crew had never been to Konoha before and looked at the System Map in wonder. They passed the orbital refineries in the gas giants and the long-mined asteroid belt. The military center of Mars was festooned with orbital bombardment and atmospheric protections, the K-Fed wanting to keep their secure data centers safe. They paled in comparison to the protections around Konoha. The little blue dot was practically wearing a suit of armor, enough construction and weapons to hold off a fleet arrayed around the planet protectively. If that weren't enough, the Homeworld Defense Fleet was arrayed protectively around the planet and Luna, the ships arrayed strategically to cover a threat from any direction.

Gaara alerted them that they were being hailed. "Incoming Assault Cruiser, please identify yourself and your purpose at Konoha," a woman read the scripted response.

"Commodore Uzumaki Naruto on the Invictus, come to visit my childhood home. Requesting clearance to dock at the Asia Spaceport," Naruto answered.

"Commodore Uzumaki? I mean, affirmative Invictus, please standby," the comms officer said, sounding quite flustered.

"The K-Fed grapevine works fast," Hinata observed.

"Tell me about it. This time tomorrow every officer and half the enlisted from Port Heracles to Port Cerberus will have heard the news," Sasuke sighed.

Konoha Flight Command hailed them again. "You have been cleared to dock at the Asia Spaceport. Please follow the provided flight path. We hope you have a pleasant time on Konoha," the woman said, sounding much warmer and friendly.

"Thank you, Flight Command," Naruto said before closing the channel.

Fu carefully guided them around the Homeworld Defense Fleet and the layers of atmospheric shields, still getting used to flying the Invictus as opposed to the far nimbler Raptor. They descended through the layers of clouds to find themselves looking down on the continent of Asia, most of it consumed by one massive super-city. Before unifying into the Konoha Federation, the various countries of Asia had made a serious push for urbanization. Once unified, they combined the borders between their cities to create Asiatica, the most urbanized center on Konoha.

They followed their fight plan to a massive spaceport, filled with Konoha Federation and civilian vessels. Fu led them to a docking bay sized for their 500 meter long ship, and gently set her down.

Naruto stood up. "Come on, let's catch a hover-limo. There aren't any landing bays near my house, it's in a rural area."

They all went down the anti-grav tube and out the airlock. The air quality went from stale to smoggy, the city still recovering from centuries of fossil fuel usage. Naruto led his merry band to the concierge desk and ordered a hover-limo, the young man eagerly doing it after recognizing him from the piece about the Nuke. The Pack filed into the stretched out car, the eight of them just managing to fit.

"The crew gets any bigger and we'll either need two limos or start sitting on laps," Naruto mused.

"And that last one would be a bad thing why?" Hinata asked, sliding over onto his lap.

Naruto chuckled and input their destination coordinates in the console built into his armrest. The hover-limo lifted up and flew through the air, moving at a fraction of the speed of the Raptor but still respectable. They flew over Asiatica, the girls and Gaara marveling at the skyscrapers and sights as they passed. Sasuke, having been raised in a mansion in the city, wasn't that impressed. Naruto used to sneak away to visit the city growing up, so he was also familiar with it. They left the main continent of Asia and flew over the blue oceans, long since cleaned of the pollution that had once infested them. They came upon an archipelago of islands that was once called Japan, angling towards a side island. They touched down in front of a large restaurant on the corner of one of perhaps four intersections in the entire town. It was a very picturesque village, buildings made in the traditional Japanese style.

"Welcome, everyone, to Uzumaki House in the town of Uzushio," Naruto said grandly, stepping out of the limo.

Hinata blinked. "Uzumaki the Uzu came from Uzushio. Try saying that five times fast."

"You really are a country hick, aren't you?" Sasuke marveled, looking at the buildings around them in awe.

"This seems like a lovely place to grow up," Hana remarked, accepting Naruto's hand to get out of the hover-limo.

"I think Karron has a higher population than this place," Tenten mused, eyeing the scant pedestrian traffic, all of whom were staring at the wealthy and beautiful strangers.

"I'm very grateful that you brought us here, Naruto," Fu said, a beaming smile on her face as she was shown her master's roots.

"I hope the cooks at your family's restaurant are as good as you," Gaara said, nervously combing his hair once he saw people staring at him.

Sakura stepped out of the limo and closed the door. She looked around. "Does one doctor service this whole town?"

"Yeah, Doctor Chopper. He took over when the last doctor, his adoptive father, died of an overdose. He was fifteen when he started, it was a big deal, but he's fully qualified. He must be in his thirties now," Naruto mused, dredging up dusty memories.

"Could that be Uzumaki-ya?" came a drawling voice. The crew turned to see a man with a blue goatee and wearing a winter hat approaching them.

"Hey, Law! Good to see you again! Butcher shop still going good?" Naruto asked, a smile coming naturally to his face.

"No one's lost any fingers. What brings you back here? I thought you were off rescuing damsels and slaying dragons during your 'retirement'," Law said with a wry grin.

"We were in the area and I thought I'd show my crew where I came from. How's Sanji and Zeff been running the restaurant?" Naruto asked.

"Those two still fight like cats and dogs, and the staff are hardly any better. But they still serve your grandma's recipes perfectly," Law offered.

"Yes! Good to know they haven't torn the place down yet or renamed it or something," Naruto let out a sigh of relief.

"Sanji says every day that he'll leave to open his own restaurant, but he loves this town too much. Plus, it would mean leaving Nami and Robin, and he'd never survive that," Law chuckled.

"He still do that stupid dance every time he sees them?" Naruto asked with a laugh.

"Like clockwork," Law replied.

"Well, it was good to see you, Law. But now I got to take my crew in to the restaurant. Have a nice day!" Naruto waved.

"You as well, Uzumaki-ya," Law replied before walking off.

*That's Law, the butcher. Of all the people I've ever met, he's the best with a knife. You couldn't pay me to fight him even with Psychic Shields and Healing, he'd sever my carotid before I could blink,* Naruto told his crew. "Follow me, guys, time to see my home. And I mean the kitchen, not my bedroom," he added jokingly before opening the doors for them. The Pack filed past him one by one, before he brought up the rear.

It was a typical old-fashioned restaurant. There were a number of tables and a counter that looked out on the open kitchen. A lot of people, mostly families, were enjoying what looked like a late breakfast.

"Welcome, mere bastards! Party of 8?" asked a man with forearms like Popeye and a simpering grin on his face.

Naruto snorted. "Patty, what are you doing as the host? Did you piss Zeff off and he kicked you out of the kitchen?"

The man, Patty, starled. "Naruto? What are you doing here?"

"Last I checked, my family built the place. Just cause I sold it to Zeff doesn't mean I forgot where I came from," Naruto said, giving the muscular man a big bear hug.

"It's so great to see you! It's been what? 2 years? After your gramps and gammie passed we thought you'd never come back!" Patty exclaimed, returning the hug.

"Well, I did, and I brought my crew. Everyone, this is Patty, the orneriest cook you'll ever meet," Naruto said.

"Nice to meet you," they all said in unison, the consequence of sharing thoughts. Only Sakura and Gaara were a bit out of sync.

"You guys get the counter! And I got to tell Owner Zeff and Sanji that you're here!" Patty said energetically.

"I was actually hoping to show them the living quarters upstairs first. Is all my stuff still up there or did he put everything into storage?" Naruto asked.

"The Owner kept everything up there untouched, like a shrine to your grandfolks. He makes the new kids dust it, so it should be breathable up there," Patty told them. "I'll keep your seats reserved until you come down," he added.

"Thanks, Patty," Naruto said. Then he maneuvered his crew through the tables with the ease of long practice, stopping to say a brief hello the waitstaff that recognized him. Then it was up the hidden stairs behind a door to the one-floor apartment that Naruto had grown up in.

"Is it just me, or did those two waitresses have freaking I cups?" Tenten wondered as she stepped into the living room area.

"That's Nami and Robin. Believe it or not, they're natural," Naruto supplied, overcome with emotion being back in his first home.

Hinata looked at a picture frame. "Are these your grandparents and mom?" she asked, marveling at the image of a perfectly average couple standing proudly behind a beautiful young woman with long red hair and violet eyes.

"Yeah. They had that taken the week she graduated the Academy," Naruto said, coming up beside his Matriarch to regard the picture himself.

Hana was using Psychic Sight to look at the remnants around the one big room. "You spent days in that kitchen with your grandma, didn't you?"

"Yeah. She was usually so busy but she always took time to give me a good lesson," Naruto said fondly.

Sasuke poked his head in one of the two bedrooms and lucked out with getting Naruto's. "What did you get this medal on the wall for?"

"Winning the local dojo tournament. I was an early bloomer so I got my muscles and height by the time I was 15. The other kids were no match," Naruto reported proudly.

Fu had pulled an old photo album from the bookshelf and started leafing through it. "Oh, Naruto, you were an adorable baby! And a very handsome child," she gushed, her eyes flicking over the images of baby baths and a 5-year-old riding a bike, picturing how her and Naruto's baby would look.

Naruto turned pink. "I thought I burned those," he muttered.

Gaara was still, just absorbing all the remnants with the ease of one born psychic. "You had a very happy childhood," he stated rather than asked.

"The best I could ask for," Naruto agreed.

Sakura knocked a hand on the door of the bathroom. "How much did you clog the pipes growing up, if you know what I mean?"

Naruto blushed scarlet. "After gramps had to have them replaced, I switched to doing it into a towel or outside in the bushes. I'm pretty sure that's the most embarrassed I've ever been, when the plumber said it was spunk that caused the blockage."

They all explored and asked questions, Fu being joined in ogling a young Naruto. Naruto himself just delighted in having the people he loved in his childhood home. It made the place feel alive again. Sure, he was saddened by memories of his late grandparents, but it was impossible to be truly depressed when he felt the joy and appreciation radiating across the Pack mind. When lunch time rolled around, they descended back downstairs and sat at the counter, Patty handing them menus. Nami, the redheaded waitress, handed them glasses of water before stalking off, unaware or uncaring that practically the entire Pack watched her go.

A blonde man with a swirly eyebrow and a cigarette in his mouth came to the counter. He took one look at the bevy of beautiful babes and seemed to lose his mind. "Oh, goddesses! Please allow this humble mortal to bask in your presence!"

Naruto coughed. "Nice to see you too, Sanji. I see you haven't changed."

Sanji regained his composure quickly and turned to Naruto. "What's up, Naruto? Have much fun out there in the big bad galaxy?"

"Can't complain. I'll take a bowl of grandma's deluxe ramen and keep them coming," he ordered.

"Sure, whatever. And what would you want, my dear?" Sanji asked, simpering over Hinata.

"I'll have the same, actually," she said, curious to try her future husband's favorite dish.

"I'll have a cup of the tomato soup with the shortribs," Sasuke asked, selecting from the eclectic menu that had items from all over Konoha.

"What would you recommend?" Hana asked politely.

"The duck confit with broccoli rabe is particularly exquisite, sweet angel!" Sanji replied with the smoke from his cigarette practically forming hearts.

"I'll try that, thanks," Hana replied, a bit weirded out by such blatant flirting.

"The creole pasta, please," Tenten said succinctly.

"The sushi platter, if you don't mind," Fu said with a winsome smile.

"I'll have the seaweed salad, please," Gaara asked, missing the algae and moss of Suna cuisine.

"And I'll have the chicken wings, please," Sakura said, noticing that Sanji seemed a bit less interested in her than the fully-converted girls.

"All of it coming right up, and prepared by yours truly!" Sanji said before rushing back into the kitchen.

"He's not really going to try to cook seven different things at once, right?" Tenten asked incredulously.

"Not even the little eggplant is that stupid," said an older blonde man with a mustache so long it was braided and a chef's toque. "Did I hear that you're the pointy eggplant's crew?"

"Nice to see you again, Zeff. I see you haven't run this place into the ground since I sold it to you," Naruto spoke up.

Zeff reached out to bonk Naruto on the head, the Commodore allowing it. "Cheeky brat. This was your grandparents' pride and joy, after you of course. You don't fix what isn't broken. I'll keep this place alive if it kills me."

"Well, you don't have to go that far," Naruto said. "You and gramps were like brothers. It would kill him twice if you got up there and he found out you got yourself there over a business."

"Up there? Please, I'm going straight down and we both know it. I'm just trying to do some good with what time I've got left," Zeff said, stroking his mustache.

"Do Luffy and the boys still come around?" Naruto asked curiously.

"Luffy is the source of half our income, and Zoro covers the other half with bar tabs. Usopp, Franky, and Brook come in from time to time too. The long-nose got himself married, believe it or not," Zeff reported.

"No way! He finally got the guts to propose to Kaya? Good for them, they've been in love practically since they were kids," Naruto said with a grin.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Anyway, I got cooks to keep in line. Enjoy your meals, and thanks for the hover-limo out front. We've had a lunch rush like no other since you showed up in that thing and parked it," Zeff said with a grin.

Naruto smacked his head. "Knew I forgot something."

The others looked back and saw the restaurant was packed to the gills, with half the patrons sneaking looks in their direction, deducing they were the important guests given the head chef took time to talk to them.

Naruto and the crew chatted about nothing as they waited for their meals, until Sanji arrived with two big platters balanced on his hands. Balancing one on his knee, he began to pass out the dishes. "Here. I love you. You're girly. I love you. I love you. I love you. You're weird. Nice hair. Enjoy!"

Naruto took his chopsticks and maneuvered the first bite into his mouth. He moaned. "I'm 13 with a scraped knee and life is perfect."

Hinata took her own bite and her eyes widened. "No wonder you love ramen, this might be even better than your cooking!"

Sasuke took a sip of soup and a bite of the beef before nodding. "If you were raised on food this rich, how were you not fat as a walrus when you got to the Academy?"

"I'm sorry, Naruto, but this is the most delicious thing I've ever consumed," Hana gushed after tasting the perfectly cooked and seasoned duck.

Tenten blinked after the first bite. "How can something be spicy and creamy at the same time?"

"This is very high quality fish considering the price," Fu reasoned, munching on her favorite food.

Gaara took a bite of the leaves. "This tastes like home, how is that possible?"

Sakura swallowed down a wing practically whole to get all the meat. "This sauce is fantastic, the best I've ever had!"

They all finished their meals with relish, Zeff insisting that the whole bill was on the house. Naruto then took them out and around Uzushio, showing off his school, his dojo, and the park where he used to play. They 'ooh'ed and 'aah'ed, and watched Naruto interact with passerby who recognized him. Naruto seemed truly relaxed for the first time… ever. He was back in the place where he'd never had reason to fear.

When the sun was setting, they piled into the hover-limo and returned to the Asia Spaceport. They went up to the Bridge and Fu and Hinata soon had them out of the system and on the way to Oceanus. Naruto cooked them a dinner of ramen, and no one had the heart to point out he'd had it for lunch. It was delicious, but not quite as tasty as his grandma's recipe as crafted by Sanji.

"Can we recruit Sanji? No offense dear, but he's a better cook," Hinata asked.

Naruto shuddered. "I grew up with the guy, it would be so awkward. And he's not my type. And he's so straight I'm not even sure I COULD make him bi."

"So that's a no. Ah, well," Hinata sighed.

Sakura was fed a double dose for dinner given she'd missed lunch. Then the crew all had a nice drink and talked about their day. Then it was off to the shower and then to sleep, none of them for once in the mood. Naruto's emotional exhaustion was taking its toll on all of them. They slipped into slumber, after the habitual warding to protect them from the gaze of the Astral Entity out for Naruto's blood.

* * *

**Please fave, follow, or review.**


	32. Chapter 32

**I've been told that I should tone down the sex scenes, so I have. Expect no more than a paragraph for the actual 'lemons' from now on. Keep it vague and focus on the space odyssey.**

* * *

The Pack were one and all woken by the lights turning on and off rapidly before settling at full brightness. "Hello? Potential emergency, please wake up!" Shikamaru called out, sounding worried for the first time in his short life.

Naruto rubbed his eyes. "We're in the heart of Konoha Federation territory. What could be the problem?"

"That's what I thought. Which is why I waited until the probability of Interdiction reached 90% before I woke you," Shikamaru said sharply.

Hinata sat up. "90%? What kind of ship is it?"

"Konoha Federation insignia, but no ship design I've ever seen before. It's got a blocked transponder that your algorithm proved ineffective against."

Sasuke frowned. "What the hell kind of encryption could keep out Tenten?"

"Should I mention that the odds of it being an automated vessel are 57%?" Shikamaru asked.

"Yes!" Tenten shot out of bed and rushed to the door. "Look alive, people, we've got an AI ship about to attack!"

"It's only a 57% probability," Shikamaru quibbled.

"When it comes to threats, anything over 50% is good as 100%" Hana said, hopping out as well. "How long do we have?"

"34 seconds and counting. Blame how fast we are and the length of this conversation," Shikamaru snarked.

Everyone rushed at Psychic Speed to their closets to throw on the first clothes they touched, before making for the anti-grav tube. They had just settled into their respective stations when the Interdiction alarm went off.

"BWOOP! BWOOP! BWOOP!"

Tenten immediately powered up weapons and shields. Fu began evasive maneuvers as soon as the Tactical Map came up. Hana activated her targeting matrix and grasped her joysticks, while the rest just hung on and looked up at the map.

They had been travelling through the Beta Persei system, an eclipsing binary system consisting of three stars, that was known colloquially as the Demon Star. There were a couple of gas giants orbiting the primary star, and a broad, dense belt of metallic asteroids close to the center of the system. Of more interest though was their attacker, which was a long cruiser clad in grey armour plating, and bristling with weapon ports.

"Shields at 85%! They've been firing since they pulled us. No human can react that fast!" Tenten called out, all but confirming it was an AI ship.

"Light it up!" Naruto ordered.

Fu brought them around on an attack vector, aligning the weapon arcs with the hostile ship. The two ships were of comparable size and the 500 meter long vessels raced towards each other as though daring the other to break away first. Orange beams blasted out from the mysterious ship, half of which hit the Invictus, while the other four lances of energy sailed wide, their gunner fooled by Fu's maneuvers. Hana returned fire with six searing blue beams, sending coruscating pulses in concentric rings over the shield's surface as the target's shields struggled to remain intact.

"Mute the glare from the tactical map, Tenten," Naruto ordered her, shielding his eyes as he winced, blinking to try and get rid of the after-image burned on his retinas.

"Sorry, compensating," she said, making the adjustment on her console.

The Beams eventually broke through just as they began to peter out. The result was a deep gouge in the surface of the foreign ship that would have depressurized those sections of the ship. But that proved not to be a concern for the one controlling the ship.

"Active scan results back! There's no organic matter on that ship!" Sasuke reported, his red eyes wide as coins. "Son of a bitch, R&D did it again!"

"Gaara, try hailing it. See if it can be reasoned with. Hana, cripple it instead of coring it," Naruto ordered.

"They're trying to ram us!" Hinata called out, realizing their game of space chicken had passed a critical threshold.

Fu twisted the ship to avoid the AI vessel, even as Laser Cannon fire flashed between them. Hana expertly managed to hit each of the weapon ports on the enemy vessel, and the fire control tower for good measure, essentially leaving it toothless.

"They accepted the ha-" Gaara began before a squeal of noise came through the speakers before the channel suddenly went dead.

"What the hell was that?" Sakura asked from her chair at an inactive station.

"That was binary. Translation: Accursed organics, death to you all," Shikamaru said in a very small voice.

Almost before he'd finished speaking, the AI vessel went up in a fusion explosion. The close proximity might well have overwhelmed their Shields if they'd still been using a Konoha Shield Generator. As it was, their Shields went into the orange range before quickly recharging back to green. The debris left in the wake of the explosion hung in space as the Invictus sat there.

"It must have overloaded its Power Core," Tenten reasoned. "Suicide move, since we took out its weapons."

"Sasuke, I owe you an apology. If that is your experience with AI, then no wonder you don't trust me," Shikamaru said in a self-pitying tone.

"Compared to that homicidal thing, you're as human as I am, Shikamaru," Sasuke said, being reminded what 'real' AI were like.

"That's not exactly comforting, given you're more Uzu than Konoha, but I appreciate the sentiment," Shikamaru said, sounding a bit better.

Naruto blew out a breath and rubbed his forehead. "So Konoha has made another copy of Nexus. And it doesn't exactly like things that breathe."

"Could this be the work of the Dragon March traitor and the rival Uzu? Another attempt to destabilize the Konoha Federation?" Hana posited.

Before Naruto could answer, Tenten alerted them. "Incoming ship. It's a Battleship, five minutes out, the Loki."

Sasuke sat up. "Battleship Loki, that's run by Vice Admiral Ebisu. He's a ranking officer in R&D. I've heard of him but we've never met."

"Come to clean up his mess, you think?" Hinata asked.

They waited tensely for the Loki to arrive in system. When it did, it loomed over them like a giant, easily three times the size of the Invictus.

"We're being hailed," Gaara reported. At Naruto's nod, the Grey opened the channel.

The viewscreen crackled and a bespectacled older man wearing full dress uniform, including his peaked Konoha Federation hat appeared as a hologram in the center of the bridge.

"This is Vice Admiral Ebisu on the Battleship Loki. It looks like we were too slow to assist you against that pirate ship, but my congratulations to you for defeating them," the man said in a dispassionate voice.

"This is Commodore Uzumaki on the Assault Cruiser Invictus, and that was no pirate ship! It had Konoha Federation markings for one thing!" Naruto protested.

"Yes, we'd been warned that a pirate band had stolen some Konoha Federation vessels, and were using them to ambush shipping," Ebisu said, telling Naruto an obvious lie. "Thanks for helping with the cleanup, but we've got it from here. It's probably best if you go about your business."

Knowing he had no justification for attacking a Vice Admiral, Naruto managed a smile without it turning into a grimace. "Happy to assist, Vice Admiral," Naruto said

"Farewell Commodore Uzumaki," the older man replied cordially, then ended the call. The Battleship Loki still bore down on their present position, flying on a direct heading towards the debris of the annihilated Cruiser.

Naruto turned towards the Nymph sitting at the station before him. "You better take us out of here, Fu," he told her firmly.

Fu nodded, and turned the Invictus away from the approaching Battleship, moving well clear of any local gravity wells so that they could jump into hyperwarp. Despite having decisively won the encounter with the strange grey Cruiser, the atmosphere was bleak on the bridge of the Invictus.

"I better report this to Shino. If R&D have opened up Project Nexus again, High Command needs to be warned," Naruto said, exhausted despite just waking up.

"To answer your earlier question, Hana, one of the three Dragon March Admirals 'could' have ordered Ebisu to start working on AI ships again. But we'd have a time and a half proving it; R&D is notoriously secretive, and they're communications and projects have the best encryption to be found in the K-Fed," Sasuke explained.

"It's 0300. I doubt Shino will be awake. You can send it when we wake up again. Come on, we'll be at Oceanus in another three hours, let's go back to bed," Hinata cajoled.

"I want to do it now, while it's fresh in my mind. You all go ahead, I'll be along shortly," Naruto instructed. They all gave him a quick kiss before leaving for the anti-grav tube. After Sakura had finished kissing him, she followed Gaara away and Naruto sat down, willing away his erection caused by so much loving. He hit a button on his Command Chair and began to dictate his AAR, the text appearing in hologram in front of his face. He reviewed it at the end, made a few edits, and saved it. Naruto was about to walk away when he paused. "Shikamaru?"

"Yes, Naruto?" Shikamaru asked, already having grown out of his habit of using a person's full name.

"You saved this crew. In the time it would have taken us to wake up to the Interdiction alarm and get up here, we could have been crippled. You have my sincerest thanks, and if I could I'd shake your hand. I'd try right now but I'm too exhausted to attempt Psychic Hacking and enter your system to meet you." Naruto looked up at the nearest camera and grinned. "Good job, man."

"Thank you, Naruto. I like it when you praise me. It… feels good," the AI said. "And I promise to never try to kill you or anyone else unless you try to kill me or the crew."

"That sounds very fair. Good night, Shikamaru." With that, Naruto walked off for bed. He found his Pack waiting for him to take the central spot on the bed, which he did. With Hinata and Sasuke in his arms, and the feel of his mates' thoughts and emotions to soothe him, he quickly fell back to sleep.

Feeling like seconds later, the lights gently turned on again. "Sorry to bother you, everyone. But we've been in the Oceanus system for four hours and the defense fleet is getting twitchy. I've routed their hails to voicemail, but I think they're getting impatient. They might start firing on us."

Naruto yawned. "Ain't no rest for the wicked. Okay, everyone, to the Bridge."

They all put on the clothes they'd worn during the Nexus attack, and filed up the anti-grav tube. They settled into their seats and turned on the Tactical and System Maps.

Hana blinked. "How the hell did they afford a Battleship?"

"The super wealthy take no chances with security," Sakura said with an odd hitch to her voice.

Naruto had Gaara contact the Captain of the Battleship. After confirming they were clients here on vacation that had just had a lie-in, the man waved them through and wished them a pleasant stay. Fu flew them in towards the massive blue planet, which seemed to be almost entirely ocean. They all looked excitedly at the place that would be their home for two weeks.

An incoming call lit up the comm interface, and Gaara pressed a button to open the communication channel. Naruto recognised the strikingly beautiful blonde girl he had spoken to the other day, as her image appeared as a hologram in the center of the bridge.

"Welcome to Oceanus, Mr Uzumaki!" she said in her lovely clear spoken voice.

"Thank you Felicity. Is everything prepared?" he asked her politely.

"Of course, Sir. You and your guests may land at your resort whenever you are ready," she replied with a sparkling smile.

*Oh my, she's beautiful. Fancy a blonde on the crew? We never did get that eye-candy role filled,* Hinata thought to him.

Rolling his eyes at his Matriarch's antics, Naruto said "We're ready now. By the way, did you receive the packages I ordered? I asked for them to be delivered to Oceanus," he asked Felicity curiously.

"Yes Mr Uzumaki, I took the liberty of arranging for the training equipment to be prepared in readiness for you. I do hope that was not overstepping my bounds?" she asked him in her precise and elegant manner of speech.

"Excellent work, thank you, Felicity!" Naruto exclaimed, genuinely pleased. It came as quite a relief that he didn't have to set up the equipment himself, or in all likelihood, have to ask Tenten to do it.

"It was my pleasure, Sir. I hope you have a wonderful stay here with us, and please get in touch should you require anything at all," Felicity told them, beaming a wide smile at both Naruto and the crew assembled with him on the Bridge.

"We will, thanks again," Naruto replied, and ended the call.

"She has the same accent as you, Sakura. Is it a rich people thing?" Tenten asked curiously.

"There are speech classes in order to acquire the equivalent of vocal calligraphy," Sakura said in her precise way of speaking. "I didn't so much pick it up as learn it through the skin, growing up in a trillionaire's household. All the staff spoke the same way, not just my parents."

"Imagine, being rich enough even the help are snooty and holier-than-thou," Hinata said humorously.

"Should I start talking in that manner?" Shikamaru asked.

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Only if you want to, buddy. You're not help, you're the Ship Assistant. You're a part of the crew. You'd be part of the family, too, if you had a body."

"And he will, once I get around to it. Designing an android worthy of the Uzu takes time, though," Tenten said with a savage grin.

Fu, while this was going on, had obediently followed the flight path Felicity had provided. Their island was currently shrouded in darkness, it being eleven at night local time, so all they could see at the moment was the gentle glow of the lighting in the docking bay as she brought them in to land.

"And here we are!" Fu exclaimed exuberantly, as she powered down the engines.

She flashed an excited grin at Naruto, and then they all rose, and headed down in the grav-tube to collect their suitcases for the vacation. It didn't take too long for them to assemble in the corridor in Deck Two, and they headed down in the grav-tube, ready to leave the Invictus.

"What are we going to do all night? It's 1000 on our internal clocks," Hana asked.

"Honey, we're Uzu. What do you think we'll be doing all night?" Naruto asked with a salacious grin.

"It's seven hours until dawn on this part of the planet. You sure you'll be able to keep going for all that time?" Hinata asked challengingly.

"Seven mates, seven hours. That's an hour per person. Sounds easy enough to me. I might need to stop for water breaks so I don't dry up like a raisin, but otherwise you're ALL going to get it," Naruto vowed.

The Pack shivered, each of them knowing that Naruto never broke a promise. Sakura was a bit worried, having not had vaginal sex with Naruto yet and still doubting it was possible or safe. But she'd seen him take other members of the crew to their obvious delight, so she'd trust that the meals she'd had already would have converted her enough by this point.

When they left the ship, they were surprised that they couldn't see the night's sky above them, the entrance to the docking bay having closed while they got ready. They saw a brightly lit guiding line on the floor, and it provided an easy-to-follow trail out of the huge room. They followed the light, out into the nearby corridor, and it ran along for a few dozen metres before ending at a set of double doors. The exuberant chatter from the crew died down as they looked at Naruto with eager anticipation.

"Home sweet home for the next two weeks," Naruto said, now just as excited as the Pack, and he pushed the button.

"Oh, wow!" Fu exclaimed, as the crew gasped collectively.

Ahead of them was a huge room, which looked like a hollowed out cove. There was a path that led around the side, with a long curving sandy beach that was being lapped gently by the night-time sea. There were seating areas that overlooked the beach, complete with immaculate white summer furniture, that looked pristine, like it had never been used before. They walked along the path around the edge of the cove, their way illuminated by the soft glow of lanterns set at regular intervals along the route, until it ended at a couple of glass double doors. They opened automatically, leading them into a large lounge area, with massive fifty foot high glass windows that looked out onto the cloudless night sky.

There were a couple of doors that led off from the lounge, and a glass elevator at the other end of the room that led up to some kind of open balcony area. They followed the glowing path, flashing excited glances at one another, and it led them to the elevator. It was big, with plenty of room for all of them and their luggage, and once they were inside, the elevator rose up to the mezzanine area. There was a comfortable seating area up here, warmly lit by an ornate lamp, and the soft glow illuminated more sets of doors leading off to the side. The room then led out, seemingly through the huge glass windows and up a couple of steps, before opening out to a spectacular bedroom.

There was a huge, luxurious looking bed in the center of the room, and on every side were tall windows that spanned its entire length. Up above them the ceiling was glass too, and they had an uninterrupted view of the night sky through the yawning portal.

"Sleeping here will be like camping outside!" Hana exclaimed in wonder, looking around the opulent luxury of the suite.

Tenten had wandered over to a small table that held a series of remotes. She picked up one and began to press buttons experimentally, and the ceiling and walls suddenly went opaque. She played with the controls for a while, grinning as she learnt how to operate everything.

"There's some huge walk-in-wardrobes over here!" Hinata exclaimed, as she reappeared from one of the double doors.

The girls and guys descended en-masse to put away their clothes, and Naruto left the chaotic sounds of playful laughter to explore a bit more. He found a couple of bathrooms, with enormous baths inside and a couple of roomy showers. With a grin, he realised it wasn't too far removed from their home aboard the Invictus. He went back down in the elevator, and explored a bit further, finding a well stocked kitchen, and the training room that was now stocked up with the equipment he had ordered.

He grinned when he saw the practice swords, and picked up a Katana and Wakizashi, which he swung around with an experimental flourish. When he spotted the Odachi, he replaced the other blades, and picked this one up so that he could get a feel for it. It was single edged rather than double, but of a comparable size to his Invictium blade. He swung it around and tried out a few slashes before he replaced that blade with its compatriots.

With a smile, he left the training room and re-entered the lounge, then jumped, startled as a stealthy figure rolled in from the darkness outside.

"Hey, Naruto" a tracked black garbed robot said in Shikamaru's voice, as it rolled up silently. "My apologies for startling you. My name is Shikamaru, and I'll be your robot butler during your stay on Oceanus. Would you or your guests care for refreshments?"

"Ha ha, very funny. How long did it take you to hack this thing?" Naruto asked

"About three seconds. Now I can 'assist' you in person even while you're in this palace. When would you all like breakfast?"

"We'll be leaving the bedroom around 0600 tomorrow local time, so let's say 0700," Naruto said.

"Of course, Sir. Full English or continental?" the automated assistant asked politely.

"You don't have to call me 'sir', even if you're role-playing as what this thing was supposed to be. Let's go with a broad selection and the crew can pick and choose."

"Very good, Sir," the 'butler' replied cheekily, and tilted at the waist in a reasonable approximation of a bow.

"Thanks Shikamaru, goodnight," Naruto said, and then strolled back to the elevator to head up to the mezzanine.

His Pack was waiting for him, naked and glorious. Naruto soon joined them, kicking his clothes off to the side.

"We presume you're going in the order we joined. So that means I'm the lucky first?" Hinata purred, standing there with her hairless tan body presented proudly for him.

"You presume correct. And I want the rest of you to keep each other occupied while I'm busy with the others," Naruto growled in an authoritative tone, his gold necklace glinting in the dim light of the lamp.

"You mean you don't want us to watch?" Sasuke asked, Beta body on full display.

"Watch all you want. Just do it while warming each other up for their ride with the Alpha," Naruto said imperiously. Then he strode forward to pull Hinata into his arms and kiss her.

The hours until dawn passed in a blur while also slowing to a crawl that lasted forever. Naruto plundered Hinata's pussy like it was their wedding night, driving her crazed with passion before finally filling her like we wanted to breed her. Sasuke was forced down onto his front while Naruto pinned him, asserting his dominance over the smaller man by pounding his prostate until it broke. Hana was held up, always loving displays of Naruto's strength, Naruto's hips moving at a blur as he thrust in and out of her womb. Tenten was extra naughty and asked to be taken in the ass while getting firmly spanked. Fu rode him with a dancer's rocking hips, her alien pussy milking him for all he was worth. Gaara was shown why the Uzu had ruled over the Suna, bent over and ploughed by Naruto's insanely big dick. Sakura was lifted lovingly onto the bed and slowly fed every inch of the Alpha's cock, until he rested balls deep, before demonstrating his insane stamina. Naruto drank a glass of water in between each fuck, so his Psychic Healing would have something to work with to restore a full load to each member of the Pack. He used Telekinesis to fill their stomachs with the seed he'd pumped into their holes, and at the end he laid on the bed panting, enjoying having each mental compartment dedicated to his Bond with his Pack glowing.

*I need to use Fu to feed you all simultaneously more often. It feels amazing, being so connected to all of you at the same time,* Naruto thought.

*Speaking of, Naruto, I came up with a new trick,* the Nymph thought tiredly, having exhausted herself keeping the others aroused while Naruto was busy with the others. She concentrated, and her stomach went down and stopped lighting up as her tits swelled up to the J-cup size they'd been when she'd been Momochi Zabuza's Nymph.

Tenten's head went up like a dog catching a scent. *Are those filled with Naruto's cum?*

*Yes, little kitten. You want some more milk?* Fu asked playfully.

*No thanks, I'm good at the moment. Still, that's pretty cool. If we ever get injured and can't use Psychic Healing, you can literally nurse us back to health!*

Sakura had observed the phenomenon of the breast inflation without being part of the Pack mind. "Guess I have a nurse to help me out. We should get her a sexy uniform," she said dazedly, still recovering from the most orgasmic sex of her life. Naruto was a truly gifted lover.

Gaara rubbed his belly contently. *This was a wonderful way to start the day,* he projected to them all. *I feel full of energy and ready to tackle the full day ahead of us. We'll sleep easy tonight.*

At that moment, the sun rose. Dawn at their island on Oceanus was a spectacular affair. The golden sun slowly crept up above the horizon and sent out bright spears of light, illuminating the rapidly brightening sky. Naruto and the crew felt the warm glow of the sun's rays, and they got up at the same time, stretching languidly in the extremely comfortable bed. Fu was on the western edge, and when she rolled on to her other side, so that she was facing the sun, she sat up abruptly with a startled gasp.

"Oh, Naruto, this place is breathtaking!" she said in a hushed whisper.

Immediately curious as to what had triggered this reaction in the Nymph, they all sat up and a series of shocked gasps echoed around the room.

Their bedroom jutted out over the ocean, at least sixty feet above sea-level, which offered them incredible views of the palm tree lined beach that spread out along the western coast and around the island. To the eastern side, the coast and rocky walls of the cliff behind them abruptly disappeared into the cove they had walked around the night before.

"It's endless," Hinata said softly, looking out in shock at the miles of uninterrupted ocean spread out before them.

"Are you alright there, Hinata?" Naruto asked her with concern, wary in case she reacted badly to the sight of such a vast volume of water.

"It's beautiful, but there's so much of it. It doesn't seem real," she replied in a hushed voice.

"I come from a land of desert. All our water is from condensation farms. Only the wealthy can afford pools. This amount of salt water strains my imagination," Gaara said, a little less obviously troubled but still out there.

Naruto hugged them and a wide-eyed Tenten close, his big arms encircling all three of them. "I'm sorry about the shock. I know this kind of vacation isn't ideal for you guys."

"We know. You picked this place for Fu. And that's wonderful," Hinata said, kissing his jawline. Like his Betas, Naruto was naturally hairless below the eyebrows and never had to shave.

"I'll get used to it. I know how to swim and I'm eager to experience a beach vacation. I'm very good at playing in the sand," Gaara said with a warm smile.

"Like Hinata once said, I can breathe underwater and fly, why should I be scared of a giant puddle. A salty puddle at that!" Tenten said bravely.

"Still, is there anyway I can make your stay more enjoyable? Besides a second round, I'm tuckered out," Naruto said giving them a squeeze before letting go.

They and the rest of the crew got identical naughty grins. "Seeing you squeeze into a speedo should make our day," Hinata purred.

Naruto obediently went to his suitcase. He opened it and rummaged around before finding the orange speedo he'd had Hinata purchase for him. Naruto slipped into the swim briefs and turned, holding out his arms as if to present himself. "How do I look?"

"Indecent. Like you've stuffed a baseball down there," Sasuke chuckled, patting his mostly reduced tummy.

"Which is why growing up I wore swim trunks so I didn't get thrown out of the community pool," Naruto said. "But it's just us here and I want a tan, so here we are.

The rest of them got into swimwear. Hinata elected for a black bikini, Sasuke for a speedo that matched his eyes, Hana for white, Tenten for maroon, Fu for green, Gaara for blue, and Sakura for pink. She had to tighten her straps a fair bit, as the bikini had been sized for a Thrall and her breasts were only a B-cup. Improvement since she started, but still not the 32D Naruto preferred.

"Everyone down to the beach?" Naruto asked. "I told the robot butler that Shikamaru took over to have breakfast ready by 0700."

"Yep! Bring on the fun in the sun," Hinata cheered.

"I'm just going to pop into the Invictus for a minute to scan myself to make my time point. I'll join you all in fifteen minutes," Sakura said.

They descended from the elevator into the lounge. The view from this room through the huge windows was incredible, showing the beach around the island from one side, and the cove through the windows on the other. A glance at a clock on the wall told Naruto that it was just past 0600, so he knew they had an hour to wait before Shikamaru the robot butler would have their breakfast ready.

Naruto admired the sight of all his Pack half-naked, a sight that at times was more tantalizing than full nudity. After all, clothes made the man. He ran a hand possessively over all their stomachs, in varying degrees of digestion of his cum. They all looked up at him doe-eyed.

"Time for a swim!" he said with a teasing grin, and turned and strolled through the double doors and out to the cove beyond.

They groaned with frustration, then grinned as they prowled after him. The cove was set up to look like it was a completely natural formation, but as they walked down the rough hewn steps to the golden sand below, Naruto realised it was a clever illusion, and that the granite surface was smooth and perfectly level.

The sand felt soft and warm under their toes, having been warmed by the morning sun for a few minutes already. With girlish delight and boyish glee, the teenage women and physical prime men began to cavort around on the beach, chasing each other around playfully. The only exception was Fu, who after running around for a little while, stopped and stared out at the sea longingly.

Naruto walked up to stand beside her. "Go ahead, go wild!" he said to her encouragingly. "I chose this place for you, after all."

The Nymph looked up at him, and he could see how deeply touched she was, by the tender expression on her face. She walked up to him and stood on the tips of her toes, her lips brushing softly against his cheek.

"Thank you," she said simply, her voice throbbing with gratitude.

When he turned to smile at her, she grinned back at him with excitement, then sprinted full tilt into the sea. She leapt into the air as she reached the water's edge, and delicate aquamarine fins sprouted from her arms and legs as she dove gracefully into the sea. Naruto laughed, and watched as she resurfaced a few dozen meters out into the cove, arcing out of the water before disappearing beneath the surface once more.

Fu surged through the water, feeling a sense of total freedom that she had never experienced before. She cut through the sea like she was born to it, and she dove deeper, her eyes staring in wonder at the coral formations that surrounded the island. Tropical fish in a huge variety of exotic colours swam lazily around the anemones and sea grasses, that waved gently with the urgings of the tidal currents.

Although her fins were great for the swimming pool aboard the Invictus, she found they were not really efficiently designed for swimming against the currents as she was now. She floated there under the water for a moment, feeling an urge welling up inside her. Remembering Naruto's encouraging words to go wild, she grinned, and then surrendered to the feeling. Her entire body began to shimmer, and a sudden image of the aquatic predator that had been owned by one of her previous masters flashed into her mind. She recalled the 'collector' telling her it was called a tiger shark, and she gleefully molded her body into that form.

A passing fish watched with unblinking eyes as the strange green mammal that was undulating through the water stopped and seem to blur before its eyes. The fish swam lazily against the current, floating in place, not quite decided whether to flee back to the safety of the anemones on the reef. Suddenly the fish was staring at a massive green striped predator, that turned to look at it with hungry eyes. The fish turned and fled, but the last thing it saw before its life ended, was the gleaming rows of razor sharp teeth.

Fu swallowed the fish down in two big bites, and her shark face smiled wide in a hideous tooth-filled grimace. She surged through the water, enjoying the incredibly efficient design of this new form, and lost herself in the unbridled openness of the ocean.

* * *

**The rest of the vacation next chapter. Please fave follow or review**


	33. Chapter 33

**Sorry I missed yesterday, one thing led to an other. Enjoy the rest of the vacation.**

* * *

Naruto and the Pack spent nearly an hour on the beach, running around on the sand, and then splashing around in the waves. He and Sakura (who as promised only took fifteen minutes) managed to coax Tenten out into the sea, then hovered nearby reassuring her, while she got over her fear of the water. Jumping over the incoming waves had the ravenette laughing with delight, and they all had lots of fun, forgetting their cares and worries for a while.

Shikamaru the robot butler appeared a few minutes before seven, flanked by a couple of cleaning robots that were carrying freshly laundered towels. They rolled down to the beach via a carefully concealed ramp, and then waited nearby for their guests to come out of the water. Naruto strode over and gratefully took the towels, handing them out to the crew as they joined him.

"Breakfast is served, Sir," Shikamaru told him with an obsequious robotic bow, and then turned around with his automated companions to head back indoors.

Naruto glanced out at the sea, wondering if Fu was alright, and Hinata walked up and gently shoulder bumped him, making him look down at her.

"She's having the time of her life, don't worry," the bluenette girl told him happily.

He grinned, and then led the rest of their group back up to the glass doors. When they opened automatically, delightful smells wafted out to them, and rumbling stomachs reminded them of how hungry they were. Shikamaru guided them to the back of the lounge on his quiet treads, and they saw that there was a cleverly concealed passageway here that they had missed at first glance. It led out to a dining room, with a table overflowing with food.

The robotic staff had been extremely busy, preparing a wide variety of fruits for them to enjoy, as well as cooked sausages, eggs and lots of toast. After they had chosen their breakfast, they stood around in confusion for a moment, not seeing any chairs.

"This way, Sir," Shikamaru told Naruto, deeply in character, and then rolled silently up to the windows which slid open automatically for the automaton.

Following behind, they saw that there was a gentle ramp that led down to a sun terrace by the main beach. There were tables and chairs set up here, with cool shade provided by spotlessly clean, overhanging parasols. Naruto glanced up, and realised that they were now directly below their bedroom, which hung out from the cliff face, sixty feet above them. They settled in the chairs, sipping iced drinks brought to them by the butler and his staff, while tucking into their delicious breakfast.

"This place is unbelievable," Hana murmured as she sipped her drink, and lounged back in her reclining chair.

"I don't think I've ever felt this relaxed," Sasuke agreed, as he took dainty bites of a slice of pineapple.

"I've been on some exotic vacations before, but this tops them all," Sakura conceded. She had already had a big meal that morning, but the food prepared by the Oceanus robotic staff looked so good, she had assembled a small plate of things to try.

Naruto let out a big sigh, as he finished his cooked breakfast and then sagged back into his chair, making it recline like Hana had done. "I could get used to this," he said with a contented chuckle.

"You really get your money's worth when you come here," Hinata said with a grin.

"Though getting that surprise of sea water going up my nose, I could have done without," Gaara huffed.

The only one who hadn't said anything was Tenten, who was busy eating, but kept glancing back at the door longingly from time to time.

"What's up honey, not having a good time?" Naruto asked her when he noticed she had stayed quiet.

"Oh, sorry! I was a bit distracted," the ravenette apologised, flushing a little with embarrassment.

Hinata grinned at her old friend, and shook her head affectionately. "She can't keep her mind off her research projects. Playing with all the toys you've given her is basically a 24/7 vacation for our lovely Chief Engineer," she explained with a look of amusement.

Tenten looked sheepish, and when Naruto looked at her, she nodded. "I can't help it! There's so much awesome stuff I'm itching to research and build!" she said eagerly.

"Well it's your holiday, and I want you to do whatever makes you happy," he told her indulgently. "Just make sure you join us for mealtimes though, okay?"

"You're the best!" Tenten said with a grin, and then wolfed down the rest of her breakfast.

She got up, and walked over to kiss him affectionately before turning to leave. Sakura stood too, and walked over to join her friend.

"I'll keep you company, if that's okay? I'd like to start looking at the test results," the pinkette said with a smile.

Tenten nodded happily, and the two girls walked hand-in-hand back up to the building.

"Those two will be the first to Bond, I'll bet," Sasuke mused, watching them go.

"Probably. Now, we can go back to the beach, but I have to leave before ten. I have my first sword training session this morning," Naruto said apologetically.

"I don't know how we'll cope on our own!" Hinata said melodramatically, as she reclined in her chair and sipped a fruit cocktail.

The crew giggled and Naruto joined them with a big laugh too. He finished his iced drink and then stood and stretched, looking out over the sea.

"I'll tell her to be back for dinner," Hinata told him, picking up on his worry about the missing Nymph.

"Thanks, honey," Naruto said, as he glanced back at the bluenette and smiled.

Gaara and Sasuke, being more athletic, rejoined him in returning to the beach. Hinata and Hana, meanwhile, leaned back in their chairs and soaked up the sun.

Three hours later, Naruto walked into the training room and over to the console on the simulation device. He brought up the comm interface, and selected Rock Lee from the list of contacts, the call going through a moment later.

The stern faced man answered the call almost immediately. "Good. You have your equipment?" he asked curtly.

"Yes, Mr Rock, or should I call you Sensei?" John asked curiously.

"Call me Lee," the other man replied, then turned to a device out of shot of the viewscreen.

He pressed a few buttons, and the simulation system that had been set up in the room flashed with a blinking green light. Naruto walked over to it and pressed the button, and the device hummed happily to itself for a moment, establishing a real-time connection with the simulation machine owned by Lee. Affixed to the outside of the resort, a massively powerful and exceedingly expensive pulse generator kicked in, enabling an instantaneous relay of the signals between Naruto and his trainer.

The flashing green light turned a solid green, and then the room seemed to transform, the walls and floor changing before his eyes as a sophisticated holographic environment was created. Naruto turned to look out at the tranquil location that had sprung into being around him.

They were standing in an open air dojo in the middle of a carefully sculpted garden, the only sound coming from a small stream that gurgled and babbled to itself happily, where it wound its way through the glade. The sun shone brightly overhead, and cherry blossom trees cast a dappled shade over the pristine and carefully manicured lawn, which had not a blade of grass out of place. The dojo overlooked a square area set in the ground, that was surrounded on all sides by a tiny green fence, and contained thousands of identical, perfectly rounded white stones. The pale stones had been carefully positioned, and posed to look like the surging waves of the sea, with a single onyx stone at the crest of the wave.

The scene made him feel at peace, and he turned to face his trainer with a smile on his face. Lee was wearing a black hakama, that was belted at the waist, but left his chest bare, and revealed a finely chiselled torso. Naruto had to remind himself that the man wasn't physically there for him to flirt with, and it would be a bad idea. His research on the man hadn't revealed whether he was married or his sexuality.

"Choose your blade," he said to Naruto, gesturing with his hand towards the practice swords.

Naruto walked over to the weapons, and picked up the Odachi he had practiced with earlier.

"This is closest in size to the weapon I fight with," he explained as he walked back to face the other man.

"Attack me," Lee instructed him, as he stepped back and placed his hand on the hilt of the long katana that was sheathed at his waist.

Naruto nodded, lifted the Odachi over his head with both hands, and stepped forward with a sailing overhead chop. The Katana in Lee's hand flashed out of its sheath and harmlessly deflected the stroke, with the perfect ringing note of steel against steel. The swordmaster did not counter attack, and waited patiently while Naruto followed up with one overhead blow after another, the long blade moving in a figure of eight as John slashed down with it, with an over-the-shoulder blow from one side and then the other.

Finally Lee had seen enough, and he stepped back and sheathed his blade with a deep sigh.

"You're attacking with a sword, not a baseball bat! There's a hint of kendo to your movements, but you're the worst I've ever seen utilize it," he snorted in disgust. "How have you managed to kill anyone fighting like that?" he asked Naruto dubiously.

Figuring he should be totally honest with his instructor, Naruto revealed "You don't have to believe me, but I'm psychic. I can be much stronger and faster when I need to be." So saying, Naruto activated Psychic Speed and did the same overhead swipes as last time.

Lee's eyes widened before he recovered himself. "Be that as it may, strength counts for nothing in this simulation, only speed and skill. And I hereby order you not to use that trick you just used to cheat," replied dismissively. "Now pay attention. I will teach you the Kata."

* * *

Fu swam lazily through the currents, gliding along in the water. Being a shark had been lots of fun, and terrifying the reef fish had been extremely entertaining, but she was starting to feel a little lonely. Having been around Naruto and the Pack for the last several weeks, she realised she had become used to their constant presence, and she was missing their friendly chatter. She was just about to head back to the island, when a pod of dolphins swam by, circling her cautiously as if trying to fathom out exactly what she was.

She heard the clicks of sonar coming from the sleek aquatic mammals, and she realised that they were attempting to communicate with her. Unfortunately the shark form was not equipped with the specialised larynx and air sacs needed to respond, so she was about to turn around sadly and return home, when something stopped her.

"Go wild," Naruto's voice urged her, seeming to echo in her mind, and she studied the nearby dolphins with a much sharper eye.

She could feel that surging need to change welling up inside her, and she surrendered to it once again, her shark body shimmering in a green haze. Fu pushed her body into the new form she had in mind, that of a green bottlenose dolphin, and she grew smaller and more compact as she adopted that shape. Finally she was done, and with an effortless flick of her tail she surged towards the surface and flipped out of the water, before diving back down joyfully beneath the surface. The sonar clicks came through stronger now as the other dolphins swam closer, and Fu let her new body respond instinctively.

"Hello," she said tentatively, in what she hoped was a friendly tone.

The pod of dolphins surged around her, nudging her gently before racing away. Their clicks and sounds suddenly began to make sense, and Fu grinned with glee.

"You're so pretty! I've never seen a green dolphin before!"

"We're going to hunt some herring, come and play!"

"How fast can you swim? I bet I can swim faster!"

Letting out a delighted dolphin giggle, Fu surged along with her new podmates, racing away under the waves.

* * *

"You are dead," Lee told him coldly, and then stepped back, sheathing his sword.

Naruto groaned with frustration, and then walked back to his starting position on the wooden floor of the dojo. They had been training solidly for the last two hours now, and to say that he found Lee to be a difficult teacher was putting it mildly. The older man had gone through the initial kata that he wanted him to learn, which for someone with many years of martial arts experience like Naruto, came as no surprise at all. However Lee expected perfection in his student, and any slight deviation from the sword stroke was met with an angry flash of the man's blade. The simulation software would then gleefully inform Naruto how he had been decapitated or dismembered.

"Break for lunch, be back here in one hour," the man said curtly, and then disappeared from view as he exited the simulation at his end.

Naruto placed his Odachi next to the Katana on the weapons rack, and then with a sigh, he strolled out of the room to join the others. He found the crew waiting for him in the lounge, and they smiled at him warmly.

"Finding the training tough going?" Hinata asked him sympathetically, which was rhetorical, as they all already knew the answer, having listened in on Naruto's thoughts that morning.

"Let's just say he's a difficult man to interact with," Naruto replied with a smile.

"Don't worry, we're going to make you feel all better," she said soothingly, and took his hand and led him around to one of the chairs.

Sakura was kneeling there already, waiting patiently for him, and she flashed him an inviting smile when he sat down.

"Let me get rid of your tension," she purred, and after pulling out his cock from his training trousers, she enveloped the head, and began to blow him with gentle, teasing suction.

"Something to eat?" Hana asked, presenting him with a plate of sandwiches.

Naruto took one, and grinned up at her appreciatively, before his attention was drawn to Tenten approaching on his other side.

"Something to drink?" the ravenette asked him, bringing the straw of a chilled fruit cocktail to his lips, so that he could take a big drink.

Hinata stood behind him, and began to massage the tense muscles in his shoulders. "Just relax. We're going to look after you, while Sakura empties your balls," she whispered lovingly in his ear.

Sasuke and Gaara, not to be left out, started to make out and put on a show for Naruto's benefit.

Naruto sagged back in his chair and moaned happily as he munched on his sandwich, while the gorgeous pinkette between his legs began to step things up a gear.

* * *

With a heavy heart, Fu clicked and chattered to her new dolphin friends, explaining that she had to return to see her family that evening. They were sad to see her go, but very understanding. She flipped in the water and began to swim to the North, heading on a direct course back to the island where Naruto and the others were staying. The other dolphins turned and swam with her for a while, cavorting around in the water, as they kept pace with her. After much begging and pleading, she agreed to meet with them again tomorrow morning, and she grinned at their antics as they flashed alongside her in the water.

The pod leader, Bigfish, decided that they would accompany her all the way back home, and Jade chittered to him gratefully. He was named sarcastically, after his tall tales of the supposedly huge fish he'd managed to catch when out swimming on his own. Fu had been delighted to find that the dolphins had a great sense of humor, and were always making jokes at their own, or each other's expense. Her name was "Greengills", as the dolphins had said that with her mottled verdant colouring, she looked like a sickly fish.

"Come on, Greengills, I'll race you back," said one of the particularly energetic dolphins, called Seaslug.

"Maybe I'll just use one flipper, then you might have a chance, Seaslug!" she retorted, and they raced away under the waves.

* * *

The afternoon meant a long session of Kata practice for Naruto, with Lee chastising him with a fatal sword stroke for every misplaced foot, or incorrectly angled strike. Despite the simulator chirpily informing the Uzu that he was dead every few minutes, he was finding the instruction quite enlightening. He had no idea what sword fighting technique Lee was teaching him, but it certainly wasn't Kendo. The style emphasized control of the blade, with flickering strikes to maim and disable, then quickly returning to a state of readiness in preparation for the next attack, or to move quickly to the defensive.

On the whole, Naruto found the day extremely productive, and he grinned happily at the end of the session.

"Thanks for today's session Lee, I feel like I learned a huge amount," Naruto said gratefully.

Lee just grunted, and turned away. "Same time tomorrow," he said brusquely, and ended the simulation.

Naruto had to blink a couple of times to readjust as the dojo in the tranquil glade was instantly replaced with the smooth cream coloured walls of the resort's training room. He laughed, and shook his head, before returning his two-handed blade to the rack of swords and exiting the room.

The lounge was currently deserted, and he looked about with surprise, expecting a deluge of scantily clad girls and guys to descend on him.

*We must be spoiling you...* Hinata teased him mischievously as she read his thoughts.

*Okay, lunch was pretty incredible. I was hoping we had set a new precedent,* he joked back.

*We're introducing Gaara and Sakura to the Firing Range. Sakura's a surprisingly good shot, while Gaara is near hopeless even with the Knowledge Transference from yours truly. He might only be suiting up in an emergency, and even then he might rely on psychic powers. We'll be back in a minute,* Hinata reported faithfully.

Naruto ascended in the elevator, and turned on the lamp on the mezzanine, before he went into the bathroom to go and take a shower. His body ached from the intensive training today, using muscle groups that he had seldom used before, and never at this level of intensity. The warm water eased the twinges in his tired body, and he stood under the shower head for a long time, just relishing the stream that patterned over his skin.

He eventually roused himself, stepped out of the shower, and took a warm soft towel from the heated rails, which he used to get dry. He strolled out of the bathroom completely naked, and walked into the nearby wardrobe, to get changed. Picking out a white shirt and some light linen trousers, he got dressed, put on some summer shoes, and headed out onto the mezzanine to look for his Pack.

They were waiting for him down in the lounge, having got ready for dinner aboard the Invictus. They rose together, and walked gracefully over to join him, bright smiles on their teenage faces. Each girl was wearing a long flowing summer dress for dinner, and they looked elegant as they glided over. The guys had followed Naruto's idea of a shirt and shorts. He could tell the girls were all wearing heels, as they were all nearly at his height, rather than being several inches shorter.

"You look beautiful," he said to them appreciatively, and the young women and men smiled all the wider.

"You look very handsome yourself," Hinata replied, running her hand around his waist and leaning in for a kiss when she reached him.

He looked from one beautiful crewmate to the next, before he asked, "Did you all have a good day?"

There were eager nods all round, and he was about to lead them off for dinner, when he noticed a green blur from the corner of his eye, at the water's edge in the cove. Fu appeared completely nude, and she sprinted up the steps to come in through the glass doors.

"You're back!" Naruto said with delight.

She ran up to him, with the broadest, happiest smile he had seen on her yet, and was practically bouncing up and down with excitement.

"Thank you so much!" she gasped, breathy with gratitude. "I've been having the best time ever!"

He was overjoyed to see her looking so happy, and he offered her his arm, to keep him company for dinner. "Tell me all about it," he told her enthusiastically, looking forward to hearing her tale.

"Ahem," Hinata said with a raised eyebrow as she cast a look at Fu's entirely naked green body.

"Oops! I better go and get ready," the Nymph said with a giggle.

The bluenette reached over the back of a nearby chair and handed Fu a long aquamarine dress, and a pair of matching high heeled shoes. "I brought these, just in case," she said, winking at the alien girl.

"I owe you one," Fu giggled with relief, and put the heels onto the floor and stepped into them.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Naruto asked in amusement, as Fu stood beside him entirely naked, the heels making her taut cheeks look even more rounded and enticing.

She winked at him, and then brought the dress over her head, so that it fell down and sheathed her body in one quick moment. "All done!" she exclaimed, hooking her arm through his once more.

They walked off to dinner, with the sound of excited chatter filling the air as they meandered out to the terrace.

Their evening meal was a leisurely, relaxed affair, full of excited talk of what everyone had been up to during the day. Naruto listened to them all avidly, and was pleased to hear that they were all having a good time. Fu's tales of undersea exploration and playing with the dolphins had everyone entranced, and they all wished they could experience the same thing, even Tenten, who smiled wistfully at the thought.

Tonight's dinner smelt mouth-watering, consisting of baked Tilapia, with large cut fries and an assortment of vegetables. The food was delicious, tasting every bit as good as the other meals so far.

"I wonder how they catch the fish and serve it here," Hana pondered, before taking a big bite.

"Maybe there was some robot fisherman somewhere, frenziedly catching fish for tonight's meal," Tenten said with a smile.

"Tilapia is a fresh-water fish, so they must ship them here from off-planet," Fu offered informatively. "I've been learning lots about fish this afternoon," she added with a grin.

Dinner was finally done, with Sakura enjoying a very filling desert. After she was nice and full, they sat out on some white canvas furniture to watch the sun set, and drink more cocktails, but this time with some kick to them. Shikamaru the butler was very attentive, and they sent him scurrying back and forth as they knocked back the drinks, getting progressively merrier. The conversation was playful and light-hearted, with plenty of laughter all round. By about midnight, Naruto's cheek muscles were aching from laughing so much, and by the giggling and beaming smiles from the crew, he knew that they had enjoyed the evening as much as he did. They called it a night, and retired to bed, tired but wonderfully happy after their first day on the island.

The next morning, the crew chattered away happily when they sat down for breakfast, discussing their plans for the day. Tenten had disappeared for a few minutes along with Sakura before rejoining them, and when she eventually returned, she announced that she had set up the ship's sensors to sweep the complex for bugs before they made any 'upgrades' to the Invictus. They finished off an enjoyable meal, with Shikamaru the butler providing them an endless supply of fruit cocktails on demand.

Predicting that it would take an hour or so at most for the in-depth scans to finish, they all decided to relax on the beach together before going their separate ways. They helped Tenten build a ridiculously elaborate and complex sand castle using the golden sands in the cove, and they had just about finished when her wrist alarm alerted her that the scans were complete. She checked the results on the holographic panel that appeared, and nodded with satisfaction that the scans had found no suspicious devices.

Fu spotted dorsal fins out in the deeper water beyond the cove, and looked up at Naruto eagerly. He nodded back at her with a grin, and she gave him a grateful kiss, and promised to be back for dinner, before she stripped off her bikini, and dove cleanly into the water. She bobbed up a few dozen meters out from shore, and waved them goodbye, before shimmering before their eyes and turning into a dolphin. She thrashed her tail and rose up out of the sea, seemingly hovering with just her tail submerged as it churned through the water, before she clicked at them excitedly and dove back beneath the waves.

"Time for me to start getting killed again," Naruto said wryly, as he glanced at his watch, and saw that it was nearly ten in the morning.

The girls and guys giggled and waved him goodbye, with promises to lift his spirits at lunchtime, and he laughed as he headed back to the complex to get ready for his training. The remaining crew headed back to the Invictus, so that they could re-plate the hull for the Invictus and Raptor, while Tenten and Sakura planned to continue their research. Working together, they believed they could pool resources to dodeca-shape the Invictium and thus render the ships immune to Laser weaponry and, at 13x the strength of Titanium, most kinetics.

Sakura stuck around to see the display of psychic powers. Her jaw dropped as she saw the plates on the Invictus float off, melt into white blobs, and be shaped another five times before settling on an armor plate once again. The Pack all had focused expressions on their faces, as their minds unified to tackle the colossal task of molding an increasingly resistant metallic crystal.

*Kind of blows your mind, seeing magic, and knowing you'll be capable of the same one day, doesn't it?* Naruto asked her mentally, taking a small break after his latest death at the hands of Rock Lee.

*It's one thing to hear you guys say you're psychic, it's another to see it. It's amazing,* Sakura whispered mentally in awe.

Sakura wound up watching the whole process of replating the Invictus and Raptor, marveling at the might of psionic energy and wishing she could study it like the scientist she was. "That was incredible! While I have all of you, can I get some blood samples and a full body scan? That way I can compare results with mine when I'm done!"

"Sure," Hinata said, wishing she had a fruit cocktail that moment. While purely exercising her brain, dodeca-shaping Invictium was thirsty work.

Back with Naruto, things weren't nearly so successful.

"You are dead!" Lee snarled, as his blade flashed back into its sheath. "Again!"

Naruto ground his teeth with frustration, but did as he was ordered. The older man was apparently satisfied with his learning of the new Kata, and they had begun to spar. Well, if you could call it that, as it was nothing like any kind of sparring sessions Naruto had been involved with before. He would cautiously attack, before being brutally murdered time and time again by Lee, which the simulator would then announce gleefully, along with a replay showing his hand, or head, or leg, sailing across the dojo.

He controlled his temper, and breathed deeply to achieve a state of focus once more. As much as Lee's remorseless executions were annoying him, he instinctively knew he was learning a huge amount from the dour man. Lee's attacks were lightning fast and incredibly precise, but he never overextended himself for some massive killing blow, instead seeking to use the incredibly sharp cutting power of his blade to sever Naruto's simulated unarmored flesh.

Naruto knew that he might not be able to use his colossal strength now in the simulator, but as and when he did this for real, these quick controlled slashes with his incredibly sharp Invictium blade would cut his opponents to pieces. He stepped forward again, and took a cautious right to left slash at Lee's arms. The man sidestepped gracefully, parried, then counterattacked so quickly, Naruto struggled to see where he went.

"You are dead!" Lee announced, as his blade flashed across John's throat, and then back into its sheath. "Again!"

Naruto watched the simulator replay intently, carefully observing Lee's impressive footwork, and smiled as he filed that away to practice and use. He nodded respectfully to the man and moved back across the wooden floor of the dojo to begin again.

As promised, Naruto was treated like a king at lunch time, leaving him refreshed and energized for his afternoon session. Hinata took a rounded Sakura and Gaara back to the Firing Range, determined to make expert marksman out of them. Hana went onto the dining terrace and spent the afternoon sunbathing. Sasuke practiced his psychic powers on the beach, taking advantage of the nearby ocean to hone his Water Manipulation; he figured he could one-two punch someone by wetting them before electrocuting them. Fu was still having fun with her dolphin pod. And Tenten set off another round on the Mass Fabricators to make the miniaturized Shield Generators and retrothrusters for the Armors, while she spent the afternoon replacing the Oxygen filters with her new design.

Naruto rejoined them in the evening, looking much happier at the end of this training session, as he explained how much he was learning. Fu joined them shortly afterwards, having spent the day swimming wild with her new dolphin friends. They got dressed up for dinner, and had an enjoyable meal sitting together and chatting. He had asked Sakura to wait for her main evening meal from him, and she had nodded obediently, eating lightly with them instead.

At one point Naruto looked around at each of the crew, and it was like he could almost see their worries lifting away as they embraced life here at the island, relaxing and having fun together. It was wonderful to see them all looking so happy, and when he finally looked over at Hinata, she returned his gaze fondly.

He had added Ichiraku Ayame to his list of people that were allowed to contact him through the communications blackout surrounding the planet Oceanus, and she had sent him a message that afternoon. She had grinned excitedly, her dark brown eyes flashing with glee, when she told him that the Konoha Federation had authorized almost everything in the interview he had given with her after the award ceremony. The broadcast would be going out at eight that evening, so he was looking forward to seeing the crew's reaction to it, as he had blocked them from his thoughts while giving the interview.

They finished the rest of their dinner, then sipped some alcoholic drinks as they stood on the sun terrace, and watched another spectacular Oceanus sunset.

"If you all would care to join me in the lounge, we should be in perfect timing for the KFNN interview," he announced, drawing all their attention.

They began to chatter excitedly, speculating on what Naruto might have said in the interview, and he laughed when he heard some of the more raunchy comments. Tenten bounced ahead, eager to set up the view-screen for them, and when they caught up with her in the lounge, a twenty foot tall section of the glass windows had turned opaque. She pressed a button on the remote, and with a brief crackle of static, the image transformed into the familiar face of Armstrong Bill, lead anchor for Konoha Federation Network News.

The smartly dressed and immaculately groomed man was talking about escalating tensions with the Kumo Empire, and how the Konoha Federation had been urging for peace, whilst robustly defending its territory against such unwarranted aggression. Naruto rolled his eyes at the blatantly biased reporting, but remained silent while he waited for the interview. They didn't have to wait long before the attractive pale skinned reporter they had met at Olympus appeared on the screen.

"... And now we have a KFNN exclusive with our very own Ichiraku Ayame!" Armstrong Bill said with a warm smile. "Ayame, I'm sure our viewers can't wait to find out what you have for them."

"Thanks, Bill!" Ayame replied gratefully. "As you might remember, nearly a month ago I brought you a special report on the heroic actions of Commander Uzumaki Naruto, and his valiant crew aboard their ship, the Invictus!"

The crew cheered enthusiastically when they heard themselves being mentioned on the news.

"I certainly do, Ayame," Bill beamed at the young woman. "It's always heart-warming to hear tales of heroism against enemies of the Konoha Federation!"

"Well you should enjoy this special report then, Bill," Ayame told him with a wide grin. "I had the privilege of being invited to a special award ceremony in honour of 'Commodore' Uzumaki Naruto and his crew," she said, emphasising his new rank.

"A promotion to Commodore!" Bill exclaimed. "He must have done something incredible to earn that..."

Ayame nodded, her face turning serious. "A rampaging Kumo warband attacked the Iota Leonis system, heavily outnumbering the stoic Konoha forces stationed there. All could have been lost if not for Commodore Uzumaki and his stalwart crew, who defended the starport and protected our ships, rescuing well over a thousand brave and loyal Konoha Federation personnel. Not only that, our bold hero managed to capture all but one of the warband except for the flagship which they destroyed, along with several hundred Kumo warriors," she said, her face filled with wonder.

"Absolutely incredible!" Bill exclaimed. "I believe you had the exclusive honor to interview this bold hero?"

"It was the highlight of my career, Bill," Ayame told him, nodding emphatically.

Naruto grinned at the screen. "They're laying it on pretty thick," he said self-effacingly.

"Everything she's saying is true," Sasuke pointed out, they all now aware of their inherent lie detection power. "We were rather heroic, and as our leader the credit goes to you."

The image had changed from the reporters in their studio, to the room in the Olympus Shipyard where he had given the interview to Ayame. They were sitting opposite each other with their chairs slightly angled towards the screen, the cameraman holding them both in the shot.

"... Commodore Uzumaki Naruto, it's wonderful to be able to interview you in person this time. Thank you so much for agreeing to speak to me," the pretty young woman said, as she flirtatiously brushed her long black hair away from her eyes.

*She wants you so bad,* Hinata told him with amusement.

*Shh, you naughty girl,* he chastised the bluenette with a chuckle.

"Thank you, Ayame. I'm always pleased to speak to the hardworking journalists at TFNN," John replied with a warm smile.

*Oh! You want her too,* Hinata teased him.

Naruto stifled a laugh. *She's hot, I can't help it,* he replied, and the two of them shared a smile.

The twenty foot tall image of Ayame smiled gratefully at Naruto before she continued, "Firstly let me congratulate you on your recent promotion! When we last spoke you held the rank of Commander, and had retired some years ago. Are you back in full-time service now?"

"Thanks. It was a pleasant surprise, but I'm always honored to serve the Konoha Federation in whatever capacity I can," Naruto said gratefully, neatly evading the question.

"You and your brave crew were also awarded the Lion Defender medal, I believe?" she asked him leadingly. "Would it be alright to show it to our viewers?"

Naruto nodded and turned slightly towards the camera, so that it could zoom in on his chest, focused on the golden image of the lion roaring defiantly at the dragon.

"I believe Admiral Senju awarded you a new title to go along with the medal as well?" Jehanna asked him with raised eyebrow and a smile.

"That's correct, Jehanna. I believe she called us the 'Wolves of the Federation'," Naruto replied with a smile. "With regard to my crew, it's a very appropriate nickname, as we work and fight together much like a pack of wolves. We even nicknamed ourselves the Uzumaki Pack even before Admiral Senju gave us this appellation. They are amongst the bravest people I've ever served with," he added earnestly.

The crew looked up at him adoringly, and he smiled back at them affectionately.

The pale skinned reporter grinned at him, her eyes gleaming with excitement. "We actually have a picture of you with these Wolves," she said eagerly, and a moment later the feed of Naruto and the reporter was replaced by the holo-image they had had taken of the four girls in uniform draped over Naruto, Sasuke, and Gaara.

"They are breathtakingly gorgeous girls and devilishly handsome men," Ayame exclaimed, admiringly. "They must be breaking hearts wherever you lead them."

"You have no argument from me there. They're as capable as they are beautiful, and our success at Iota Leonis is in large part due to their incredible skill and dedication," he said proudly.

"Well thank you for taking the time to give this interview, Commodore. Congratulations again on your well-earned promotion, and to all of you for the medals," she gushed effusively.

Naruto smiled back at her warmly, "It was a pleasure as always, Ayame."

The image cut away, and returned to Armstrong Bill and Ichiraku Ayame in the KFNN newsroom. "And there we have it, the Wolves of the Federation and their Alpha," the attractive young reporter said with a huge smile.

"It sounds like we owe them a huge debt of gratitude, Ayame," Bill said sincerely.

Ayame nodded emphatically. "We certainly do, and I'm sure this isn't the last we've heard from Commodore Uzumaki, either!"

The camera cut away as the KFNN moved on to the next news story about the increase of piracy around the galaxy.

"Well, now everyone knows our nickname," Naruto said lightly.

Fu leaned over and kissed him heatedly. "This she-wolf is in heat from seeing her Alpha be so honored. Will he please mount her?"

Naruto grinned and turned to Sakura. "What do you say, Sakura? Feel like having dinner from Fu?"

Sakura blushed as she realized what he meant, but she gave a tentative nod.

* * *

They woke late the next morning, everyone still tired from the frenzied orgy the previous night. After they had seen Naruto roughly take Fu from behind, with her begging him to ride her harder, they had all wanted to be ravaged by the Alpha male in charge of the Pack. He had very nearly succumbed to temptation with Sakura too, the look she had given, letting him know she was more than up for it. He managed to resist though, and she settled for filling her stomach while Fu writhed under her eager tongue.

When Naruto checked the call log, he saw that Hana's father, Inuzuka Jack, had called them in the middle of the night, their time-zones being several hours apart. Hana nodded and smiled when he told her, and said that she would call her father back that evening. They went about their day training, researching or having fun, and after they had eaten dinner, Hana went through to the lounge to try contacting her family home on Jericho.

It only took a few rings before her father's face appeared on the screen, and his attractive features broke into a huge smile when he saw his daughter, along with the rest of the crew.

"Hana-banana! It's wonderful to see you," Jack gasped with delight.

"Sorry I couldn't take your call last night, Dad," Hana apologised with a self-conscious smile. "We're on Oceanus, and there's a thirteen hour time difference for us here."

"There's no need to apologize, I understand. You get used to it having your family scattered around off-world, and besides, Oceanus! That must be costing Naruto a fortune!" he said with a grin, before he remembered why he had called in the first place. "Oh! I saw the broadcast last night! You won a special-issue medal?!" he asked his daughter, his face shining with pride.

"We all did," Hana said, glancing around at her friends with a smile. "Well apart from our newest recruit, Doctor Haruno Sakura," she added by way of introduction.

"I was the damsel in distress they were rescuing," Sakura said in a self-deprecating manner.

Jack smiled at her warmly, and said, "I thought I spotted another stunningly beautiful young woman. You certainly fit right in with the rest of the crew!"

The rose haired pinkette blushed, and smiled in gratitude at the compliment.

"Did Mom and the boys see the interview too?" Hana asked her father, rescuing Sakura from further scrutiny.

"I haven't heard from Kuromaru, but Akamaru and Kiba were very impressed and both say congratulations. I spoke to your mother last night. She sends her love, and said how proud she was of you, his little Wolf of the Federation," Jack replied, looking at his daughter affectionately.

Hana blushed, but looked blissfully happy at her father's words.

"Hello to you as well, Naruto," Jack said with a smile. "Congratulations on your promotion, Commodore," he added with a playful smile.

"It's lovely to see you again, Jack, and thank you," Naruto said, smiling at the charming man he had got on so well with before.

"Tsume sent a message to you as well. She said, and I quote, 'Thanks for keeping her safe, and congratulations, but I'm not going to salute the man who's dating my daughter'," Jack said, then rolled her eyes.

Naruto chuckled in amusement before he replied, "It's alright, that would be weird, I agree."

"Well I better let you go, but thanks so much for calling, it was lovely to see you all again! I'm very proud of all of you, so keep doing what you're doing," he said, his eyes shining brightly.

"I love you Dad," Hana called out to him.

"I love you too," Jack replied, before he glanced at Naruto, then winked at his daughter. "And remember my advice!"

"I haven't forgotten," she grinned, and waved goodbye.

When the call ended, Sakura turned to the Lieutenant and said, "Your father is absolutely lovely."

"Thanks, we're very close," Hana replied with a happy sigh.

"What was his advice? If you don't mind me asking," Sakura asked curiously.

Hana laughed, and glanced at Naruto as she said, "To hang on to him."

"Handsome, friendly, and wise... Your mother's a lucky woman," Sakura said graciously. "And he seems to have passed it on to his daughter as well," she added flatteringly.

The Inuzuka got up and hugged the smaller pinkette, and they smiled at each other happily. The two girls separated and walked over to join the rest of the group, and they all spent the rest of the evening chatting and enjoying each others' company.

* * *

The next several days seemed to fly by, with everyone well settled in the luxurious resort complex, and getting used to living with a team of robotic servers catering for all their meals. Tenten offered to look into constructing their own set of automated chefs and waiters, but Naruto declined, preferring the camaraderie they shared when preparing meals together.

Naruto was still getting executed dozens of times a day in the simulator training sessions with Lee. He was beginning to be able to apply what he had learned more effectively, and even managing some parries and ripostes, before the inevitable dismemberment. The man was still just as taciturn as ever, and pointedly ignored all of Naruto's attempts to get to know him in more detail. Rock Lee was proving to be an enigma, and Naruto decided to research more about the man to see what had made him this way.

By which he meant have Shikamaru do it. The AI had a biography of the man within 30 seconds, and it was a tragic read. Abusive alcoholic father, bipolar mother, no siblings or cousins to aid him growing up. He'd found his niche in martial arts and kendo, and soon won enough money from tournaments to leave home and live by his own means. He eventually got married and had a daughter, but both died in a grisly murder. The killer was never caught, and evidence suggested it had happened in front of Lee. Afterwards, he had gone into isolation, until Naruto had managed to coax him into lessons.

Sakura's conversion completed, and she happily started joining in on the sex parties they had every other night. She finished her report on the DNA changes and what she'd found out about the Uzu from Naruto's blood and sperm samples, but she said she wanted to wait until they had left Oceanus before she made her report.

The rest of the holiday at this amazing location went by in a blur of good food, fantastic company and phenomenal sex. When they weren't relaxing, they were training, and Hinata assured Naruto that Gaara and Sakura were making excellent progress with their marksmanship in the firing range. Gaara hit the threshold for Astral Bonding with the rest of the crew, and they spent an afternoon doing that on the beach under the glowing sun. Finally, like all good things, it came to an end as dawn rose on their final day.

Leaving the crew to their last full day on the beautiful resort island, Naruto made for the training room, finding Lee waiting for him with the dojo simulation loaded and prepared. He went over to the rack and retrieved the Odachi, which now felt comfortable and familiar in his two-handed grip, and then walked over to stand in readiness.

"Attack," Lee commanded.

Naruto hesitated, and decided to take a chance. "I know why you quit the championships, Lee, and why you spent years developing this sword style. You're training to kill the one who killed your family,"

Lee went puce with anger and almost reached to end the simulation but stopped himself at the last second. "How dare you breach my privacy like that? How did you even figure that out?"

"I have a VERY good private investigator. I just wanted to know more about the man teaching me how to kill," Naruto said calmly, refusing to be ashamed. "And as a thank you for your lessons, I make you this offer: let me help you. I've got money, I've got a capable crew, I've got a badass ship, and I've got magical powers. We could help you track down the murderer."

Lee got a hungry, desperate look on his face, before closing off. "No. This pain is mine to vanquish. But I'll make you a deal: ever defeat me in combat, WITHOUT cheating with your powers, and I will allow you to join forces with me in my quest."

Naruto readied himself, reaching for a state of total focus and body wisdom. "What are we waiting for then?"

Their exchanges began to last for minutes at a time, but Naruto still kept 'dying'. Lee had a look of slight smugness in his eye, along with lingering resentment. Naruto was aware that he'd lost a lot of points with the man, and he hadn't had many to start with. One exchange went for a full twenty before, with a skillful feint, Lee decapitated him.

"You are dead," Lee told him with satisfaction, but Naruto was sure he saw the smallest glimmer of respect in the older man's eyes, before he ordered him to attack once more.

When the training session was done, Lee agreed to more sparring matches with Naruto, which they would continue once he had moved the simulation equipment to the Invictus. Naruto thanked the man, and they cancelled the afternoon's training, so that Naruto could enjoy the rest of the remaining day with the Pack.

He strolled out of the training room in a buoyant mood, and found the crew, Fu included, waiting for him in the lounge. With Sakura having completed her full week, there was no need to maintain the relentless stomach filling routine, so they all settled around the table and enjoyed a lovely lunch together, watching Fu's aquatic friends leaping around in the sea off the coast of their island.

The pod of dolphins turned out to be Fu's afternoon surprise. She'd convinced her friends to let her family ride each of them as they went through the water. The crew eagerly accepted, even Tenten, each of them swimming out to grab a fin before activating Psychic Oxygen, an ability that purified the lungs and bloodstream so one could survive on a single breath for hours. They had oodles of fun touring the reefs and seeing the schools of colorful fish.

It was a novel experience for all of them, and when Naruto and the crew finally came back to shore, they were all chattering away about the incredible sights they had seen under the waves. Fu had a final play around with the dolphins she had befriended, before she swam back to shore and changed form to her Nymph shape once more. The others thanked her profusely for sharing this with them, and she beamed at them with delight, when she saw how much they had all enjoyed it.

The evening meal was surprising, in a dramatic change to the perfect cloudless skies they had experienced on every other night on Oceanus. Dark storm clouds had started to gather on the horizon, casting an ominous shadow over the island, as they blotted out the sun. The wind started to pick up a little, and it didn't take a meteorologist to realise that a storm was on the way. They watched the sunset, which cast angry red shades over the roiling storm clouds in the distance, before the night seemed to suddenly descend on them.

"Red sky at night, sailor's delight," Sakura quoted an old naval adage. "It means it should blow out by morning."

"Lucky our bedroom isn't actually outdoors," Tenten joked.

"I always loved thunderstorms," Sasuke said wistfully.

Hinata rolled her eyes. "You loved the lightning. Seriously, dude, you're obsessed. I've seen you play with Psychic Lightning when you think no one's looking. You're giddy that you're a human taser."

Sasuke blushed but didn't deny it.

That night, under the light of the arching lightning, they acted out a fantasy that Naruto had for a while. They formed a daisy chain, each of them penetrating the one that came after them in seniority. Naruto fucked Hinata fucked Sasuke fucked Hana fucked Tenten fucked Fu fucked Gaara fucked Sakura. They could barely move from the psychic feedback, but they managed to last about ten minutes before Naruto exploded and set them all off. Hinata getting pride of place with a full belly, they all piled into bed and fell asleep, the sound of the rain and thunder a harsh lullaby.

* * *

**Heading for the Oto next chapter. Please fave, follow, or review.**


	34. Chapter 34

**I'm having issues with ch 56. So there's a slight chance the daily update schedule will be disrupted in three weeks.**

* * *

The atmosphere was oddly conflicted as they packed up their holiday clothes to get ready to go home. There was happiness, at having had such a great time on Oceanus, and sadness, at finally having to leave. As was always the case for a vacation, they had brought far more clothes than they had actually ended up wearing, but considering that the crew were either in swimwear or nude for most of the two weeks, Naruto certainly wasn't complaining. They piled up their suitcases in the lounge, before walking out onto the sun-terrace to enjoy one last breakfast at the wonderful resort world.

As quickly as the tempestuous storm had arrived last night, it had blown itself out just as rapidly, and the skies were clear and blue this morning with not a cloud in sight. Shikamaru and his robotic cohorts had prepared a banquet of delicious food, and the departing guests sat around in the bright morning sunshine, sipping chilled drinks and enjoying the selections of fruit on offer. With wistful sighs, they finished their breakfast, and then meandered back to the lounge so that they could return their belongings to the Invictus.

While the crew took the cases back to the ship, Tenten helped Naruto pack up the simulation equipment. She eagerly volunteered to set it up again for him, and they planned on putting one of the currently vacant rooms in the Invictus to good use, as his new training room. She also promised to help him configure the pulse generator, so that he could still maintain an instantaneous interface with Lee's equipment, while they were out roaming the galaxy.

When they were fully packed away, Naruto bid the robots farewell, and strolled back along the rocky path around the cove, to reach the docking bay. The roof of the huge room was yawning open and the golden glow from the sun was bathing the Invictus in bright sunshine. The Assault Cruiser was awaiting him, and it looked radiant as it reflected the sun's rays. He stopped for a moment to drink in its appearance, and he had to concede that the others were right; it did look quite magnificent. Naruto worried that it was ostentatious, but the white look just seemed to work.

They walked up to the DNA reader on the airlock, but before they could lay a hand on it, it was already opening. "Welcome home, everyone," Shikamaru spoke through the speakers.

Naruto chuckled. "Good to be home, Shikamaru. Thanks for serving us these last two weeks."

"Of course, I'm a robot, the word literally means 'slave'," Shikamaru said self-deprecatingly.

Tenten frowned. "First correction, you are an AI. Second correction, you don't have to do anything you don't want to do. That's the rule of being Pack. Never doubt you have free will."

"Whatever you say, Mom," he said sarcastically but they could tell he was touched. "I'll get us to the Nav Beacon while you pack your clothes away."

Sure enough, they felt the Invictus begin to lift off when the airlock closed behind Sakura.

"You let him fly the ship? Is he allowed to fire the weapons as well?" Sasuke griped good naturedly. He'd actually started to see the AI as a friend after his invaluable assistance against the Nexus ship.

"Think about this one: do you really want to know?" Naruto teased.

They took the anti-grav tube to Deck 2 and put their clothes away in their respective closets. Naruto almost delayed them when he saw Hinata and Sasuke strip in front of him, but he maintained focus and they all made it to the Bridge.

"Shino called us," Gaara alerted the crew, opening the comm interface in anticipation of the coming order.

"Call him back," Naruto requested politely. He never barked orders except in the heat of combat.

The older man's face eventually appeared on the viewscreen, and he nodded to Naruto when he saw his friend.

"Hey, Shino," Naruto greeted him with a friendly smile.

"Nice tan, Naruto," Shino said with a dry chuckle.

Naruto's smile turned into a broad grin. "Thanks! Oceanus was incredible, we had a great time. Sorry I missed your call earlier, everything alright?"

"It's nothing urgent, I just wanted to let you know that I've done some digging on Vice Admiral Ebisu, and it appears he's currently in command of an R&D research facility in the Beta Persei system. I tried to find out more, but all other information is beyond my clearance level," Shino replied, clenching his jaw with irritation.

"Alright, well let me know if you find out anything more," Naruto said, looking concerned.

"Will do. Have fun with the Oto, but I don't think you're going to have much luck if you try for their Laser weaponry," Shino advised his old comrade, giving him a strained smile before ending the call.

"He looks like he's burning the candle at both ends," Hinata said worriedly.

"If Itachi is riding his ass and he's also worried about this AI business, I can relate," Sasuke said, having worked Shino's job for 11 years.

Shikamaru had been good as his word and the ship had reached orbit while they were putting their clothes away. Fu assumed manual control and led them to the Nav Beacon marking the edge of the gravity well while Hinata did her thing.

"Course plotted and laid in; destination, the Oto Regency," Hinata announced to everyone, and pressed a button that displayed the sector map for them.

The glowing map cast a blue haze over the bridge, and Hinata's course suddenly appeared as a glowing green line, showing the route they would be taking through the Konoha Federation to get there. Oto space was directly above the hundreds of star systems that made up Konoha space, and the information displayed next to their route indicated that it would take them two days to reach it. The trading station that was their final destination was located on the border between the two galactic empires, a short distance inside Oto space.

Once Fu had brought them away from Oceanus' gravity well, Hinata powered up the Tachyon Drive, and the Invictus leapt into hyperwarp. After the ship had been enveloped in the blue field of the Tachyon Drive and surged away from the planet, the comms interface lit up and showed a dozen missed calls from a Koeman Peter.

Naruto sat up. "Guess he changed his mind about helping us," he mused.

Hana got an uncomfortable frown. "Or he's gotten desperate. If he failed to get us to the ambush site, he might be being hunted down for his failure."

Gaara was already hitting the recall button on the comms interface. They waited a minute, and then an unexpected face appeared onscreen. It was a middle-aged woman with brownish-blonde hair that was probably dyed given the amount of wrinkles on her face. She had a cop's shield hanging proudly around her neck. "This is Detective Hargitay Mariska. Why have you called this number?"

Naruto coughed. "Do we have the wrong number? I'm returning a call to a Koeman Peter."

The detective sighed. "I regret to inform you that Mr. Koeman has disappeared mysteriously. I'm about to close the case as incomplete, there's simply no leads. He vanished from his bedroom and no one's seen him since. I'm sorry for your loss."

Naruto nodded stoically. "Understood, Detective, keep up the good work."

"Will do. Oh, what's your name. I need to make a note of whoever calls suspected kidnappings," the detective asked.

"Commodore Uzumaki Naruto," Naruto said, hoping she hadn't seen the news pieces.

She had. Her face lit up with surprise and joy. "The Alpha? Thank you so much for your efforts in Iota Leonis, Commodore! You and your Wolves saved my husband's life!"

"Happy to help. Goodbye," Naruto said awkwardly, mentally ordering Gaara to cut the call.

"So, his employer got to him first," Sasuke noted.

"It would appear so," Naruto sighed.

Hana steepled her fingers. "That last thing he said to us is stuck in my head: 'everyone knows pain'. What is that? A code phrase? A clue to his employer's identity? It's driving me bonkers," she sighed.

Tenten nodded and projected her agreement. She turned to her console, going with a hunch. "Shikamaru, I want you to take one of you and run a search on the holo-net for anyone named 'Pain' or the phrase 'everyone knows pain'. And I mean ALL the holo-net."

"Naruto ordered me to stay off the Dark Net," Shikamaru protested.

"That was when you were younger. You're much wiser and tougher now after all the reading you've done. I trust you to dip your toe in the filth and not turn into a rampaging monster," Naruto said trustingly.

"I'm also much hornier. There's a LOT of porn out there. I'm looking forward to you making me a wife/husband or building that android body so I can join in," Shikamaru joked. "Anyway, tasking lucky number seven with the search… done. It might take one of me a day to trawl all those zettabytes, especially with the false pings from using such a common word as pain. I'm probably going to get a lot of hardcore S&M and snuff porn, that'll be less fun to watch."

Naruto sighed. "We can't thank you enough for doing this, Shikamaru. The more we know about this threat, the better prepared we'll be to face it."

Sakura coughed from the inactive Intelligence Officer station. "Can I show you all my findings now?"

They all perked up. "Sure, honey. Would you mind doing it in the Briefing Room?" Naruto asked.

"No, that would be perfect."

They all filed into the Briefing Room and everyone took their seats in order of when they'd joined. Sakura was sat next to Fu and opened the report she'd compiled over the vacation. "As you know, I've taken extensive tests ever since that first load of Naruto's cum. I was able to use your Commodore clearance to pull the data from the physical I took when I first got the Port Medea, so we were able to establish a baseline."

"This is me when I initially joined you," she said, pulling an image from one of the cameras in the airlock. "As you can see, I went through a significant transformation over this two week period, with my body changing to how I appear before you today," she said, gesturing to her spectacular figure. "I gained just over an inch in height, my bust increased three cup sizes, and I gained another eight pounds in weight, which was all due to an increase in muscle mass. And, of course, I got pointed ears. I've tested my strength, speed, agility, and reflexes, and I'm now at the top end of all categories achievable by Konoha females. As we share the same body type, it's apparent that you girls are enhanced to the same degree too," she added, looking at each of the girls in turn.

Everyone nodded, but this wasn't news to them. They knew the Thrall body was inherently meant for combat.

"Obviously Fu and Gaara are special cases, but I'll work with them to find out what I can about their physiology," she said, smiling at the Nymph and Grey.

"I can't wait!" Fu replied, and beamed back at her happily.

"I am most curious to see how I compare to the others given I started off much 'worse' than they did," Gaara mused.

Sakura nodded and then continued. "My lung capacity has also massively increased, and oxygen transfer through the lungs is much more efficient. This has proven to be very helpful when there's something substantial in my throat, preventing me from breathing normally," Sakura explained with a coy glance at Naruto, to the accompanying laughter of her crewmates.

Sakura then turned back to the holograph of the full-body scan, and clicked a button on her remote, which changed the image to one that made the girls giggle.

"Now, I'm sure I don't need to explain that this is a Konoha sperm," Sakura said, smiling as she looked at the image. She pressed the button again, and the image changed so another sperm appeared, but this one had a bigger head and longer tail. "This is an Uzu sperm, that I took from a lip swab a week ago. It's bigger and more powerful than the Konoha equivalent, but as your mother proved, Naruto, it will be just as compatible with us in the future."

At this little tidbit, the girls began to squirm in their chairs, darting hungry glances at John, and even Sakura started to look a little flushed. The men went starry-eyed, little fingers and toes clearly in their heads. Naruto smiled at the obvious arousal in the girls, and then nodded at Sakura to continue.

"As you can see, just the thought of you... breeding us," she said, stifling a little moan, "has a pronounced effect on our state of arousal. You warned me this might be the case when you explained what being with you might entail, and you were right. It's a psychological change that swallowing down your cum has made to all of us, which I'll explain a little later."

When Naruto nodded his understanding, Sakura clicked the button on her remote to continue her presentation. The image changed to show a full-body scan holograph, but this one showed her with a hugely swollen belly, along with the pints of thick white liquid that had so greatly expanded her stomach.

"Now I'll go through the exact mechanics of what happens during the 'change'. This image you see before you, I took after the first few days. I've studied the effects that swallowing down your cum has, and I've made a number of interesting observations.

Firstly, you mentioned that when someone first starts to suck on your cock, they go into a kind of daze. There's a component in your genes which is carried via your pre-cum, that causes this narcotic/anaesthetic effect. It's an intoxicating, addictive, mind-numbing, throat-coating, pleasure-inducing, liquid relaxant, which tastes delicious to compatible men and women, encouraging them to ingest more.

The more the person swallows, the less they are affected by the sedative effects, until by the third 'exposure', they become immune to it, and the accompanying memory loss. The muscle relaxant properties still remain, which helps you to fit your big cock into whatever receptive orifice you choose on a compliant lover," Sakura explained, struggling to retain her professional composure.

"The muscle relaxant also protects a person's stomach, allowing it to stretch to accommodate all that cum, and the healing properties prevent any stretch marks from occurring.

Additionally, that first time a person swallows a load, the sedative knocks them out for fourteen hours, during which time their body absorbs your cum, and their DNA begins to change, reprogrammed by your genes. There's some additional catalyst for this change which I haven't been able to identify yet, but I'm continuing to look into it."

"It's probably psionic energy. And you're saying the DNA changes happen from the first dose?" Naruto asked worriedly. His mind went to all his lovers before he'd met Hinata.

Sakura nodded and continued. "The healing that we've all experienced begins with that exposure. It seems to start with more serious conditions first, then physical enhancements, and finally moves on to cosmetic improvements afterwards. The body reshaping takes a week mainly because of the vast numbers of calories needed to grow new hair, muscle and bone, which were all fuelled by our bodies absorbing your cum to provide the energy for the change."

"But what about typical Uzu? They have as many Thralls as possible. I can't imagine one taking the time to spend a week on each girl until she'd fully transformed to the Thrall body template," Hinata asked.

"This is pure extrapolation based on Uzu ancestral knowledge and my own reasoning. But I think the typical Uzu gets around the problem by creating or altering an existing species to be naturally athletic and Thrall-like, and able to form an Astral Bond on just a small sample of cum from the Feeder. He could theoretically customize multiple slave races to do different tasks, enslaving the women for his armies and the men for his workforce," Sakura reasoned.

Gaara jumped. "Forgive me, it honestly slipped my mind. But that's exactly what Orochimaru did. He made the Suna to do psychic grunt work and an experiment in a group mind. He made the Iwa for miners. The Konoha, so far as we could tell, were a simple experiment to see what would happen. And of course, there's the Oto."

Naruto perked up. "What about the Oto? You're telling me the Suna know their secrets?"

"The knowledge was restricted to the High Council. There was such a culture of secrecy it honestly didn't occur to me to tell you until now. The Oto were the blue-skinned white-haired race you saw in the cave paintings of Orochimaru. Matriarch Guren was one of them. He modified the whole race to have a 20-to-1 birthrate of females to males and to all be naturally Thrall-like in body. After ten thousand years without reinforcement, I'm sure mutations have sprung up. But the Oto were Orochimaru's main stock for Thralls."

Naruto gaped. "20-to-1? How could they possibly survive with that skewed sex ratio?"

"They've somehow managed. From what we know of their culture, the women rule the core worlds and the men retreat to the trading stations for their own safety and sanity. The politics and intrigue that have become integral to their way of life are quite… deadly," Gaara explained.

"So why the armor?" Hinata asked. "To protect against assassinations, if they're all playing power games?"

"From what the Suna can remember, the culture of full-body armor is explicitly to prevent another Uzu from recognizing them and enslaving them again," Gaara said with a shrug. "Whether they remember that's the reason, or Orochimaru's reign in general, is beyond my knowledge."

Sakura nodded. "Well, this has been fascinating. But may I finish my report?"

"Of course, honey, sorry for the interruption," Naruto said apologetically, turning back to his pinkette Thrall.

"You mentioned that you had each become smarter during the change, and when you observe the activity in my brain over the week period, it seems likely I have been affected the same way too. My brain now uses a greater number of synapses, and the electrical activity has increased fourfold," Sakura said, as she pressed the button on the remote a few times, showing several images of her brain in succession. Each one was more brightly lit, showing all the extra activity that she had mentioned.

"There's also conclusive evidence, that the areas of my brain that affect personality and behaviour have been rewritten, which ties in with your own observations. Again, the genes alone shouldn't be able to trigger this level of intricate modification of our brains, so there's something else at work which I can't clearly explain. Yet..." she said confidently.

Gaara raised a hand to contribute. "I am hardly a psionicologist, but I will happily share the Suna's knowledge on the biological basis of psychic powers."

Sakura beamed. "Thank you, Gaara. And finally, the best for last: our DNA. All of us now have triple-helix DNA as opposed to the standard double-helix that the Konoha and Suna have. According to his physical when he first joined the Navy, Naruto's DNA was already triple-helix, but the third strand was all but inactive. Every connection is lit up like a firework now, so I'll posit that the third strand is what contains all our psychic powers and Uzu knowledge. And, of course there's our immorality. Every being with DNA has structures called telomeres in their chromosomes, which ensure the cell maintains integrity when it reproduces. Unfortunately, telomeres wear down, and damage starts to accumulate. It's the whole copy-of-a-copy problem. But that doesn't apply to us. We all have, for lack of a better term, 'super' telomeres. They never wear down and each new cell is perfectly healthy and identical to its parent."

"Which explains how Orochimaru lived for thousands of years," Sasuke noted.

"If we were normal Thralls, we'd have to rely on ingesting Uzu cum to combat aging. But since we have such a generous Alpha, we've been adopted into his species with all the benefits that come with it," Sakura said with a saucy smile. "And now he has an immortal harem who are all so very grateful for the Gift he's bestowed upon them…"

Naruto grinned, sensing where this meeting was going. "Fu? I think it's time we test your shapeshifting ability, particularly that special one when you have an Uzu cock up your ass."

They all went down to the Commodore's Quarters (Hinata noting they'd have to change to plaque), and stripped naked. Then, lining up in front of him with the exception of Jade, his Pack all bent over. Naruto, sitting on the bed, welcomed Fu into his lap. She gave him a quick blowjob to lube him up and then settled her tightest hole over her throbbing cock and sat down. They both moaned at the pleasure of stretching Fu's body with Naruto's manhood, and in a few short moments six cocks sprung out from Fu's front.

Sakura turned to look over her shoulder and gaped. "Christ! You guys told me about it but I didn't actually believe it!"

"Yeah, Fu's a wonder. Now prepare to take it hard and fast. Naruto's not going to last long under all this stimulation. Luckily, we all cum when he cums, so everyone wins," Hinata told her from the other end of the line.

"Good Nymph. Now, I want you to stretch those cocks out to plunder all those tight little holes," Naruto whispered in Fu's ear, licking it and biting her neck afterwards.

Fu furrowed her brow and concentrated. The green copies of the Alpha's cock grew longer and began to flex, until there were six tentacles extended from Fu's front, each one lined up with one of the Pack's holes. They all relaxed their bodies in anticipation of that first stretch. And then Fu pushed her tentacles into them.

*Fuck!* they thought as one as the psychic feedback of them all being simultaneously penetrated hit them. It was all but a white-out of pleasure. Naruto almost came like a teenager, feeling three asses and four pussies at the same time. He clung to his legendary endurance and held out, though. And then Fu began to writhe in his lap, which consequently moved the tentacles within their respective holes. Naruto mentally thought, 'fuck it' and began to thrust up and into Fu at a manic pace, chasing his orgasm relentlessly. Fu squealed and replicated the furious pace in her tentacles, making the Pack moan and cry out in pleasure. Finally, after about two minutes and he was quite proud of that, Naruto roared and released. Fu funneled his cum into each hole, saving a portion for herself.

The Pack all recovered from their collective orgasm, and used Telekinesis to move Naruto's cum to their mouths in their respective methods given which hole had been used. Sakura was a bit hesitant with the Telekinesis, but the prospect of the sweet treat of Naruto's cum motivated her. They all had a quick shower and then got dressed again, deciding on an early lunch given the appetizer they'd just had.

"Any requests for lunch?" Naruto asked, feeling chipper as a chipmunk after such a massive orgasm.

Sakura blushed and coughed. "My mom used to make a spicy shrimp linguini. She had to fight the chef to let her cook, but it was delicious."

Naruto grinned and gave Sakura a kiss, happy that she was opening up about her past and her mother. Naruto sensed a great pain in his pinkette lover's history, but he figured she'd open up about it when she was ready, and this was a first step. "I'll whip something up. Can't promise it will taste the same, but I'll do my best."

Thirty minutes later, Naruto brought out a platter of pasta loaded with prawns and in a cayenne cream sauce. Sakura took one bite and almost broke out in tears. "It's perfect," she said quietly. Naruto flooded her mind with a mental hug and kiss plus waves of affection and even love. She grinned radiantly and tucked in, everyone else taking their own appreciative bites.

"I think we need an extra early night to reset our internal clocks. It 's lunchtime on Oceanus but past dinnertime on Konoha Standard Time," Naruto told them. "I'll use Psychic Sleep on all of us, don't worry."

"What if there's an Interdiction again? Will Shikamaru be able to wake us?" Tenten worried.

"It just puts you to sleep, it's not a coma… depending on how much power you put into it," Naruto explained. "But just in case… Shikamaru, feel free to wake us up if you see any threats along the way to Geniya Station!"

"Will do, that's not too troublesome," the AI drawled.

"Good man," Naruto congratulated. "Come on, off to bed. Think of it as we'll get to the Oto Regency just that sooner."

"Where you'll seduce Kakashi and get your first Oto male Thrall, the first of thousands as you take Orochimaru's slave race for your own ends, mwahahaha!" Hinata cackled dramatically.

Naruto rolled his eyes. "I'll offer him the Gift, it's up to him whether he accepts. And I'm a quality over quantity kind of guy, remember? Besides, compared to the Bonds we have, a standard Thrall connection would be pitifully inadequate."

Gaara nodded. "The depth of connection we all have to each other makes our stores of energy exponentially greater than what Orochimaru had in the past. Each one of us is good as 10,000 Thralls, given our individual strength and the 'bandwidth' of our Astral Bonds."

"I just wish I could remember when he was my master. I'd like to compare his technique to Naruto's. I'm sure Naruto would prove the victor, but part of me is curious," Fu mused.

Sakura shook her head. "It still blows my mind that you're at least 10,000 years old. You were alive when humanity was still knocking rocks together to make fire."

"Imagine what the original Nexus must be like. If we could find and restore it, maybe it would be saner than these clones that R&D keep fucking up. Orochimaru's old research assistant must know so much, especially about the Uzu. We don't even know what Naruto's real home system is," Sasuke mused.

Sakura bonked her own forehead. "Crap, I completely forgot to mention. Naruto, you're genome has definitely been engineered. It's hard to describe, but when I was reviewing your DNA strands, I started being able to read it like music. And certain sections have a certain… rigidity that tell me you've been genetically modified, though I couldn't tell you how many generations back."

Naruto blinked. "Huh. That makes sense. It's kind of hard to believe that natural evolution would produce a customized conqueror race like the Uzu. I wonder when and how it happened, and if it had anything to do with that Astral Entity."

Tenten grinned. "Once we get powerful enough, maybe we could all take a trip to the Astral Plane and kick its ass for answers!"

Naruto and Hinata instinctively shivered, remembering the encounter two months back near the start of their adventure. "I've showed you the memory, Tenten. That thing was good as a god. A lowercase 'g', but a god nonetheless. It'll be millenia before we're on that kind of scale, and that's if we keep recruiting at the rate we have been."

"But still, we're only going to get stronger. Someday, we'll be good as gods ourselves," Hana said confidently.

"Just remember, Orochimaru was estimated to be 60,000 years old and he still was vanquished," Gaara cautioned, slipping out of his clothes and putting them in the hamper, his grower ten-incher swaying as he walked.

Everyone else followed the Grey's lead and piled into the bed, which was starting to get a little crowded.

"If we ever have the time for another major refit, I think I'll turn the entire floor of this room into a giant mattress. That way we can just lie on the floor like actual wolves, just more comfortable," Tenten mused contendly, sandwiched between Sasuke and Gaara.

"Good idea, Tenten. But then it'll take a lot of recruitment to get enough people to fill the entire room," Naruto chuckled, readying his Psychic Sleep power.

"XO is in charge of recruitment. I'll get right on it," Hinata said, before a wave of psionic energy washed over her and the others, including the originator, Naruto. They all fell into an early sleep to reset their internal clocks. Shikamaru continued to faithfully watch over them, considering them his family and an honor to serve them.

The next morning started in the usual kind of way, if a little early at 0530, with Naruto waking up first and stretching with satisfaction as he looked down over the crew. He grinned to himself, with the happy look of a man who has five astonishingly beautiful young women and two handsome men at his beck and call. Like a rippling wave, the Pack started to wake up too, and they smiled as they recalled the previous morning, and the biggest orgasm they'd ever shared. Even Sakura, who'd only felt a fraction of it.

Naruto cleared his throat. "So what's everyone's plans for today? We won't reach the borders of Oto space until early tomorrow morning, so we have a full day to do whatever you like."

"I'd like to start my in-depth study of Fu and Gaara, if that's okay?" Sakura asked hopefully.

The two aliens nodded, happy to help and curious as to what the Medical Officer would find anyway.

"I'm working on some maintenance bots for Shikamaru, so he can help us make repairs to the ship and also have a rudimentary presence before I get around to constructing an android body. They'll also double as security drones, to help the next time when, not if, we have boarders," Tenten explained logically.

"I got quite used to having shells to move around when you were on Oceanus. I'll help with the designs," Shikamru spoke up from the speakers in the wall. "Also, I have the report on this 'Pain' character. Saw some stuff that made me want to vomit, which I didn't think was possible, but I got the data. Do you want it now or later?"

"Wait a couple minutes while we hash out our daily plans, Shikamaru. Then you can brief us," Naruto told the hard-working AI. "Congratulations on such fast work, by the way. It would have taken Tenten or the rest of us weeks to find what you did."

"Well, that's the problem with you organics, you're stuck with electrochemical thought instead of purely electric," Shikamaru said teasingly.

"Cheeky AI. Anyway, the rest of you?" Naruto asked.

"I'm going up to the Bridge to work on that side project we talked about," Sasuke said.

"And I'll finish off the analysis of the Dragon March orders. It's not looking good, though. We might need Vice Admiral clearance to see which Admiral gave which orders and confirm the traitor or traitors. There definitely is at least one, though. They're clever, but it's obvious if you know what to look for," Hana explained.

"And I'll just swim laps in the pool with you until your session with Lee. It'll feel a lot different after Oceanus. After facing ten-foot waves, a calm puddle doesn't scare me anymore," Hinata offered.

"Good. Now, Shikamaru, what did you find out?" Naruto asked, getting comfortable.

"Pein, spelled P-E-I-N, is the king of hitmen in the Konoha Federation. He and his operatives are credited with over a thousand assassinations spanning over the last hundred years. Based on brief video clips and eyewitness accounts I managed to dig up, they're all either psychic or top-of-the-line cyborgs. He has a ship, though I don't know the configuration, and he has a secret base somewhere in the Core Worlds. I couldn't find anything else without setting off alarm bells. Most of this data was scrubbed from the Holo-net, but not well enough to hide from me. He's not cheap, either, so whoever put the hit on Naruto must have big bucks," Shikamaru reported faithfully.

Naruto considered the information. "So some shadow king of killers is after me. Now, let me think. Whose life have I ruined in the last few months?"

It was Hana who realized it. "Gato! He disappeared, remember, and he made off with millions of stolen ryo. If anyone was going to put a hit out on you, it'd be him or Momochi, but Momochi is penniless in prison."

"That makes a lot of sense. So, should we turn around and hunt down Gato to make him remove the hit?" Sasuke asked.

"If this guy has the success rate Shikamaru says he has, this might have become a matter of pride for this Pein character. Even if Gato asked for a refund, I don't think he'd give up," Hinata argued.

Naruto shrugged. "I say the same thing I said when we caught Koeman. I won't live in fear, and now we know what to look for. We'll continue on our way and be on the lookout for the next attempted lure or ambush. If we're lucky, this guy might try to come after us with his ship and he'll find out how effective Uzu weaponry is," he said with a feral grin.

They all nodded, trusting in their Alpha.

"Now, to the real important question, who's getting my morning load?"

After several intense games of rock-paper-scissors, which was made exponentially more difficult by mind reading, Fu would up the lucky girl. She used her very best skills on Naruto and soon he was pumping her belly full of spunk. She began to glow as left the room to get dressed, trailed by an awed Sakura and the rest of the Pack.

Naruto laid back in bed for a moment, feeling the warm spots left by his mates and thought *Life is good.*

* * *

**Tad filler, but still necessary to the plot. Please fave, follow, or review.**


	35. Chapter 35

**Learn some more about Sakura's past this chapter.**

* * *

Naruto strolled out of the bathroom having just dried himself off after his shower, and then walked into their cavernous wardrobe to get dressed for a training session with Lee. When they left Oceanus, he had helped Tenten move all the simulator equipment to one of the spare rooms on Deck 3, and while he had cleared the conference room of furniture, she had hooked up the equipment for him. She had excitedly explained that she was going to connect the pulse generator to the powerful communication relay on the Invictus, and promised him that it would work flawlessly.

Swimming with Hinata had been fun, and the anal pounding he'd given her for winning the race they'd agreed to had really worked the tension from finding out he'd been marked for death out of his system. He'd put up a brave front for the Pack, but the truth was the idea of a person specifically set on killing him weirded him the fuck out. What kind of life was he living? The life of a young Uzu, apparently.

*We love you, good luck,* came the universal response from his Pack, his crew, his family. Naruto felt his heart fill until it felt ready to burst. He walked along the corridor then descended one floor in the red glow of the grav-tube, before stepping out onto Deck 3. This deck mainly consisted of conference and training rooms, but with their tiny crew, there had been no reason to use any of the space here except for Shikamaru's Mainframe. His new sparring room was set up in the first room on the left, and he walked inside and then powered up the simulator, before striding over to collect his Odachi from the rack.

After two solid weeks of intensive training, the weapon felt comfortable and familiar in his hands, and he smiled as he looked down at it. The padded floor suddenly blurred and shifted below him, changing as the holo-simulation reconstructed the dojo where he had been decapitated and dismembered countless times. Lee blinked into view with his hand on his sheathed Katana, and he grunted wordlessly in greeting.

Naruto smiled wryly, nodding at his mentor, and then walked across the polished wooden floor of the dojo, in preparation for their first duel of the session.

The rest of the crew continued their pursuits while Naruto got himself repeatedly killed in the name of education. Hinata floated in the pool, happily content with a full belly. Sasuke continued his research into the research vessel Cora and it's final mission with Uzumaki Kushina as a crewmember. At her own console, Hana was repeatedly frustrated as she ran into Ultra-level clearance requests as she tried to milk the last information out of the Dragon March orders for the last three months. Tenten happily roughed out the perfect design for the maintenance bots with Shikamaru's help before putting the finishing touches on all the Armors. Fu, Gaara, and Sakura were occupied in the Medical Bay, Sakura having taken blood from Gaara but not Fu since, as it turns out, she didn't have any. After that and a skin sample, she'd had them do full-body scans and then go through a series of exercises to determine their physical limits.

They finished what they were doing in time for lunch, and enjoyed a nice meal. They were about to go back to them or find something new to do, when Shikamaru buzzed in. "Sorry to spoil your day, but we've picked up a recent pirate attack on the long-range scanners."

Naruto sat up like a wolf getting a scent. "Describe the attack," he ordered even as the crew raced for the anti-grav tube.

"Luxury passenger liner, the Excelsior, crippled engines, zero life signs. Either they're all killed or they've been kidnapped. But there's little biological matter so my bet is kidnapped," Shikamaru said through the speakers, keeping up with them as they moved.

The Pack settled into their stations and looked up at the Tactical Map. The Excelsior sat broken and alone in space, looking very expensive. Unfortunately, none of that money had gone towards any weapons.

Naruto settled into Alpha mode. "Sasuke, pull up reports of pirate attacks in the area. Hana, scan nearby star systems for a good base. I want to know their location within the next 15 minutes!"

"Yes, Commodore," they replied helpfully. They both went about their tasks, Shikamaru helping from time to time. In just five minutes with the AI's assistance, they had their answer. "Eta Tauri. It has a gas mining facility, ironically owned by the same company as Momochi's base," Sasuke reported, being up the System Map. It was a bright blue-white star, surrounded by a couple bare planetoids and four gas giants, one of which was highlighted.

"I've just been researching the facility, and it was hit by an asteroid and badly damaged, that's why it was abandoned. From the logs of the incident it was deemed structurally unstable, and they couldn't drain the fuel tanks before it was decommissioned," Hana reported.

Naruto frowned with annoyance, and growled, "Is there any chance we could catch them before they return to their base? If we can interdict them ourselves, it will keep the civilians from any added danger."

Hana shook her head as she regretfully informed him, "It's extremely unlikely. The attack must have happened several hours ago at least, or we would have been in range of the distress beacon. It's possible the liner didn't activate one, but that seems highly implausible, and it's much more likely that the pirates probably turned it off when they captured the ship."

"If that's the case, we'll sneak into the facility to take control of it, and prevent the pirates from rigging or setting off any explosives," he said decisively.

The Invictus raced through the systems on their rescue detour, the powerful Tachyon Drive covering the vast distances in record time. A short while later they dropped out of hyperwarp in the Eta Tauri system, and Tenten immediately powered down most of the ship's systems, massively reducing the energy profile of the Assault Cruiser. The passive sensors did their work, and the Tactical Map began to fill with additional information, updating the map with some minimal details on the ships in the area.

"I'm only picking up what looks like one ship by the gas mining station," Tenten informed them. "The transponder is turned off though, so I'm not sure what kind of vessel it is."

"The passenger liner wasn't hit that hard, mostly by laser cannon blasts," Hana said appraisingly. "If I had to guess, I'd say it's a small band using a decommissioned Destroyer or Frigate."

Naruto considered their plan of attack. "I want Hinata, Fu, and Sakura with me. Hinata is our best shot and psychic, Fu can use her tiger form to intimidate, and Sakura can perform first-aid on any injured hostages. Sasuke, Hana, Tenten, and Gaara, you stay out here. If they catch us, you can bluff them into surrendering, but hopefully that happens after we secure the passengers. Ready, run out!"

The selected girls followed him into the Briefing Room, which now had double the equipping frames. Tenten had been quite industrious during their Oceanus vacation. They all had noticed the air quality was all but superior to even Jericho's with the new Oxygen filters. Anyway, all three locations for the equipping frames could now equip at least half of the Pack. Naruto got into his Uzu Armor, noting there were new icons on the eye-tracking HUD screen, which he presumed were for the miniaturized Shield Generator and retrothruster. He turned to the girls in their Thrall Armor and noticed a new addition. Over their left breast was a holographic wolf's head, with the fur the color of the respective girl's fur and eyes matching as well. He looked down at his own breast and saw his own wolf's head, arranged the same as his dress uniform and with his colors.

*Tenten? Any reason for the identifiers? We could already tell each other apart with Telepathy,* Naruto asked his Chief Engineer.

*Yeah, but no one else could. We're 'heroes' now, we need to be easily recognized even when we're in uniform in order to inspire the masses or terrify our enemies. I only left out Fu because wearing armor would stop her from shapeshifting,* Tenten replied.

Naruto shrugged and grabbed a Laser Railgun from the rack. *Tell me about the Shield Generator? Is it permeable or do I have to turn it off to shoot?*

*You really think I'd make something that hard to use? It's one-way, trust me. You can blast and shoot bullets and bolts to your heart's content, but none will be hitting you unless you run out of juice,* she thought smugly.

Naruto grinned and gave her a mental kiss. *Brilliant work as always, babe. See you when we're done massacring pirates.*

Naruto and the girls made for the anti-grav tube, making for Deck 9 and the Raptor. Fu led them, still dressed in clothes, into the gunship and up the anti-grav tube to the Cockpit. She got in the Pilot's Chair and then flew them out of the Docking Bay and towards the Rastan-Cooper gas mining facility.

*It'll take us about 10 minutes to get there,* Fu told them, even Sakura using standard Telepathy. Despite spending two weeks with the girl, they had yet to feel the point when they could Astral Bond with her. It was standard procedure to switch to Telepathy in a combat situation, both for speed and because it couldn't be traced by conventional sensors.

*You all be safe," Sasuke told the Pack mind.

The ten minutes to approach the gas mining facility seemed to take an eternity, and it loomed larger as they stared at it through the Cockpit canopy. It was a dark rusty red, with a cylindrical body and five long arms sticking out from the top. There should have been eight in total, but three had been sheared off in the impact with the asteroid, which had left a huge rent down the side of the facility.

They saw what looked to be a battered old Konoha Federation Frigate that was docked on one side of the facility, proving Hana's guess to be correct. Fu didn't need to be told to dock on the opposite side of the gas mining station, and they soon sidled up to one of the docking arms, before clamping themselves securely in place.

Naruto turned to face Sakura, and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. *You okay? Feeling nervous?* he asked her considerately.

She paused and then nodded hesitantly as she looked up at him.

*We'll look after you, don't be scared,* he told her soothingly. *Just stick with me and follow my instructions. I'll be communicating directly with you via Telepathy. If you need to ask me anything, just think it and I'll hear,*

Sakura stood up straighter and nodded much more firmly this time. *I won't let you down,* she told him in a determined voice.

*I know, you're a good girl,* he told her affectionately, before he glanced at Fu and Hinata. *Alright, let's move out.*

They went down the anti-grav tube and then through to the cargo compartment at the back of the Raptor which contained the airlocks. Fu had docked on the port side of the gunship, so they approached that airlock cautiously. Once Hinata had hit the button that made the outer airlock door spiral open, Naruto removed the chrome decryption device from a compartment on his belt and then attached it to the door. It hummed happily to itself for a moment before the station airlock unlocked with a dull sounding thunk, then the two doors creaked loudly as they ground open. A rush of fetid air swirled through the doorway, and Fu wrinkled her nose with distaste.

She stepped away from them a little way, back into the room, and stripped off her top and dropped her trousers, then began to shimmer as she changed her shape. An instant later she reappeared in her jade tiger form, and she padded past them and through into the station. She sniffed the air, her powerful muzzle lifted high, and then began to stalk forward.

*There's men approaching,* She reported to them. *Only a couple I think, probably to investigate the noise from the door.*

Naruto darted out of the airlock behind Fu, followed by Hinata and Sakura. The facility was in a terrible state of disrepair, with pipes venting steam into the corridor, broken overhead lighting, and floor panelling removed in various sections where maintenance had been started and then abandoned. They all heard the sound of men talking before they saw any signs of the incoming pirates.

"Ugh, why do we even need anyone on guard duty," one of the grumbled. "I could be getting laid right now."

"Tell me about it," the second one snarled. "I've never had me any high class pussy before, and now it'll be sloppy seconds at best."

Naruto clenched his jaw with anger, and he could feel the fury coming off the girls over their telepathic connection.

*We better try and grab a prisoner if we can. We're going to need some information fast if we're going to have any chance of protecting those women,* Naruto told them.

*I'm on it,* Fu told him immediately, and Naruto watched the huge tiger prowl forward rapidly, not making a sound.

She disappeared from sight for a few seconds, and there was the sound of a muffled scream, then frantic cries for mercy. Naruto darted forward to catch up, and saw that Fu had cornered one of the men, who had dropped to his knees in terror, flinging his hands up in the air in surrender. The other man's decapitated head lolled on the floor, a horrified expression frozen on his face.

Naruto strode up to the man and pointed his gun in his face. "Start talking now, or either I'll start shooting bits off you, or I'll let the tiger take her time with you. Where are the women prisoners?"

"On the n-n-next level down," the terrified man stammered.

"And the rest of the passengers, where are they?" Naruto snarled.

"Locked up on this level, being guarded by a handful of the men," the pirate replied fearfully.

Naruto tightened his grip on his weapon as he stared at the loathsome man. "Have you rigged this place with booby traps or any kind of explosive triggers?" he said in a no-nonsense voice.

The pirate shook his head quickly as he stared up at Naruto. "We only moved in here a couple of weeks ago, and none of the crew are explosives experts. The Captain said something about an insurance policy though..."

"OK, you're coming up with us. Sakura, watch him. If he tries anything suspicious or attempts to warn his friends, you can kill him," Naruto said forebodingly, and then nodded to Fu who darted away down the corridor.

Naruto jogged along after the Nymph, with Hinata at his side, as they tried to keep up with the dark green tiger, whilst making as little noise as possible.

"Move it arsehole," Sakura growled at the pirate, and the man stood up warily.

He put his hands on his head, and then walked several paces in front of her while she kept her weapon trained on him. They eventually caught up with the others who were paused to strike out of the darkness. They were on an upper gantry overlooking a gloomy circular room, in the middle of which was a table where four surly men sat around playing cards.

"I can't believe we got picked for fucking guard duty," one of them whined, in what seemed like a common grievance amongst those pirates stuck on this level.

His one-eyed compatriot nodded as he stared at his guards. "These useless dicks aren't going anywhere, they're locked up tight," he grumbled. "This is a bullshit waste of time."

"Did you see those bitches we pulled off that liner," an overweight pirate leered. "I'm gonna have me some fun when the Cap'n finally lets us have a go."

The fourth man was about to speak when Naruto gave the signal to strike, and Fu leapt off the gantry, dropping twenty feet to the ground and letting out a terrifying snarl, revealing her razor sharp fangs.

"Freeze or you're dead!" Naruto called out to the pirates as they scrambled back in fear from the enormous green tiger, the fat man falling off his chair in his haste.

The four men looked up frantically at the sound of his voice, suddenly spotting Naruto and Hinata pointing lethal looking rifles at them. They warily raised their hands, being careful not to do anything that might give the tiger, or the white armored soldiers, any reason to attack.

Naruto and Hinata walked carefully down the ramp from the gantry, keeping their weapons trained on the pirates. When Naruto reached them, he moved from man to man, stripping them of any obvious handguns or rifles.

"Any concealed weapons on the table. If we find them later, I'll kill you," he said in a voice that promised instant enactment of his threat.

The one-eyed man reluctantly pulled a small pistol gingerly from his belt, hidden behind his back, while the fat man slowly uncovered a vicious looking knife from his boot and added it to the growing pile of weapons.

"Good, now back up over there," Naruto said, waving them off with his weapon.

Fu had been prowling around the room, and she scratched at one of the sealed doors.

"The rest of the passengers are in there," Hinata translated for her.

Naruto turned to Hinata and nodded. "I'll take Fu and save the women. Lock up these pirates in one of the rooms, and free the other passengers," he ordered.

He could feel Hinata's reluctance to leave his side, but she nodded her agreement.

"Which way to the level down?" Naruto snarled at the first pirate they had taken prisoner, who Sakura had brought down to join them.

The man pointed down a corridor on the other side of the dimly lit curved room. "Down there, then look for a gantry like this one with a ramp down to the next level," he answered quickly, then put his hand back on top of his head.

*We'll be back as soon as we can,* Naruto thought to the girls, and he sprinted down the corridor, following Fu's lashing tail.

Hinata kept a wary eye on the pirates in the middle of the room, and then carefully opened one of the sealed doors. The room inside was empty and featureless, and after a cautious look inside, she determined there was no way out of it.

"Alright, all of you in there," she told the pirates, indicating the room with a nod of her head.

The five pirates glowered at her with annoyance, now realising they were being guarded by two women, and feeling braver now that the terrifying beast had left the room. They shot her sullen looks as they walked past, and she could almost feel the hate and contempt pouring off them. When the last one was safely inside, she sealed the door behind them and spun the locking wheel on the metal door, locking them in.

"What a complete bunch of arseholes," she said to Sakura, shaking her head in disgust.

They walked over to the next door, the one that Fu had indicated, and carefully spun the identical locking mechanism, which unsealed the door. Hinata tugged at the rust stiffened portal, and it open grudgingly with an unhappy squeal. Dozens of scared faces peered back at them from the dimly lit room, and as Hinata yanked the door wide open, they saw there must have been at least fifty men in the room.

"Don't be afraid. We're here to rescue you," she called out to them in a clear voice. "Are any of you injured?"

A man in a ripped pseudo-naval uniform staggered forward. "Oh thank God you're here!" he said, his voice sounding desperate.

As he moved into the slightly brighter lighting from the circular room behind them, they could see that he had received a beating from the pirates, and his face was blackened with bruises, and bloodied with several cuts and gashes. Sakura slung her railgun over a shoulder, and then pulled the medical kit from her back as she walked over to him, and helped him to sit so that she could tend to his wounds.

"My name's Hyuuga Hinata, I'm the Executive Officer on the Invictus," Hinata informed him, as she squatted by his side. "Who are you?"

"I'm Bragan Merick. I was First Officer on the Excelsior, and I guess I'm in charge, as these bastards beat the Captain to death," he said in a quavering voice.

"You're safe now," Hinata told him in a soothing voice. "Just take it slowly and tell me what happened."

Merick slumped back against the wall, and stared up at the ceiling as Sakura began to clean the cuts on his face.

"We got yanked out of hyperwarp, and then the pirates started shooting at us. This part of Konoha space is supposed to be totally safe!" he exclaimed, still shocked. "How could the K-Fed Navy have let them set up like this?!"

"As I understand it, they're funneling most of their forces to the Dragon March. Their patrols must be starting to suffer for it," Hinata reasoned. "Now what happend after the pirates attacked?"

"When the pirates shot out our engines, they boarded us. We had a small security contingent aboard the Excelsior, but they were so outnumbered they stood no chance. When the Captain refused to turn off the distress beacon, the pirates..." he faltered as he struggled to continue.

"It's okay, I get the idea," Hinata told him comfortingly. "How many of you are there?"

One of the other men in the crowd of faces that were staring at them stepped forward. "There's sixty three of us here, nearly all men, some of the older women and nearly a dozen children. The pirates took the others," he said pointedly, leaving little doubt who he was referring to.

Sakura immediately glanced around the room, and suddenly realised there were a number of kids staring at her with wide frightened eyes. She pulled the helmet from her head, and smiled at them reassuringly.

"It's okay, we're here to keep you safe," she said gently.

A little girl, probably aged about six or seven in her estimation looked around one of the men and stared at her with big blue eyes. "They took my mummy. Are you going to bring her back?" she asked in a scared voice.

Sakura stared at her in shock, as her mind flashed back to those dreadful events ten years ago...

"Daddy, when will mummy be back?" she asked her father curiously, looking up at him where he sat behind the heavy desk in his study. "She was supposed to be home hours ago."

Her father had a funny look on his face, one she had never seen before. He looked angry and worried at the same time. "Not now Sakura," he said waving her away dismissively. "Go and play with the Nanny, I'm speaking to someone about your mother at the moment."

Sakura snapped back to the present, and stared off into the distance, as those feelings of fear and helplessness threatened to overwhelm her once more.

Hinata glanced at her, frowning at the sudden surge of negative emotions she was picking up from Sakura.

*Are you ok?* she thought to the pinkette, who turned and nodded to her distractedly.

Fu had slowed slightly as they darted down the gantry, letting Naruto keep up with her. As they descended to the next level down, they could hear the dreadful sounds of women sobbing and crying coming from up ahead, as well as the raucous sounds of braying laughter from a large group of men.

Naruto hurried along the corridor, desperate to try and stop what he feared had already started, as he and Fu closed in on the sounds. The pirates hadn't bothered to post any guards, and he was able to approach the room and glance inside without alerting any of them.

There were at least fifteen pirates in here, with around twice that number of women in various stages of undress. The pirates were laughing and drinking as they bartered with each other for who got to have each of the women first, and a young, mid-teen girl was currently the center of their attention.

"Strip! Strip! Strip!" they yelled and howled at her, as she stood quaking in terror before them.

As Naruto pulled back before he was spotted, he noticed a couple of female bodies lying sprawled on the floor in a pool of blood, and he shook his head sadly, realizing they would soon be beyond his help.

*Fu, I'm going to use Psychic Sleep. I want you to nick their necks or hearts while they're down. Scum like this don't deserve to live,* Naruto thought, calmly sentencing over a dozen men to die.

*I'll do it, Naruto,* she thought to him.

Naruto focused and held out his hand, sending out a wave of psionic energy. As if the pirates all suffered from narcolepsy, they stopped shouting and collapsed to the ground, dead to the world.

The women paused, unsure how to react to this development. When Naruto and Fu in tiger form walked in, quite a few screamed.

"Calm down! We're here to rescue you! I'm Commodore Uzumaki Naruto!" Naruto called out firmly. "Get dressed, I'm taking you back to my ship. Don't worry about the tiger, she's fully trained," he added, seeing many of them eyeing Fu terrified as she casually decapitated the fallen pirates.

Naruto rushed over to the bodies and saw there were in fact three. One had torn clothes but all three had been shot at point-blank range. He was aware of movement behind him, and a striking blonde in her late thirties came forward to stand at his side. Her face was filled with sadness as she stood next to him, and looked down at the trio of murdered women.

"I think the pirates used them as an example to intimidate the rest of us. They were going to rape the first one, and when her friends tried to help her, they shot all three of them," she said mournfully.

"How long ago were they shot?" Naruto asked, the seconds ticking down in his head.

The blonde looked at him in confusion. "Less than five minutes ago. What difference does that make?"

"It takes four minutes for the brain to die after losing oxygen or blood," Naruto said, reaching deep into his reserves. Short of Future Sight, this might be the biggest effort he'd ever made with his powers. His Pack sensed his intentions and fed him energy without hesitation. Naruto held his hands over the three women and, with a visible shimmer, send Psychic Healing into their bodies.

For a solid minute, Naruto fed psionic energy into the near-corpses. For a second he thought he was too late, and then all three's bullet wounds sealed and they sat up, their blood-soaked clothes making them appear the victims of terrible wounds, which technically they had been.

The women of the Excelsior gaped at Naruto and the three seemingly resurrected women.

"Did… did I just die?" The woman who'd almost been raped asked.

"No, no, just came really, REALLY close. Death I can't cure. Everything else though, I can manage in a pinch," Naruto said lightly, trying to hide his exhaustion.

"Who… what are you?" the blonde whose daughter he'd saved asked him, the whites of her eyes clearly visible.

Naruto took off his helmet so they could see his face, and more importantly his ears. "Like I said, I'm Commodore Uzumaki Naruto. I'm not human, let's leave it at that," he said with his most charming grin.

"The Alpha," one of the women whispered, Naruto couldn't tell who. Some of the women reacted to the name, presumably those that saw the broadcast.

Naruto stood up. "Just follow behind me, I'll lead you back to safety," he told them, and then put his helmet back on again and strode out the door. The women hesitantly followed after him, regarding him with either fear, gratitude, or awe. It didn't take long to go back up to the next level now that they weren't trying to be stealthy, and Naruto nodded to Hinata with relief when he saw her waiting for them.

"We killed them all before we got anything out of them. The Captain and his 'insurance policy' might still be in play. We need to get everyone onto the Raptor and back to the Invictus as soon as possible. Then we can just blow this place to bits and be done with it," Naruto told his XO, noting she seemed tired just like him. Reviving those three women had really taken a toll on them all.

Sakura came out of the makeshift prison after cleaning First Officer Bragan's wounds. She was nearly bowled over as the men followed behind her and the women behind Naruto and Fu rushed towards them. Sakura smiled as she saw them kissing and hugging each other. The girl who'd spoken to her ran up to a woman with bloodstained clothes. "Mummy!" she cried out in joy, getting swept up into the woman's arms and kissed all over her face. The girl's father wasn't far behind his child, wrapping the both of them in a tight hug. "Mummy's hurt! Daddy, kiss it better!" the little girl said imperiously, clearly a spoiled sweet princess.

"It's okay, Carla, the nice man already made Mummy better," the woman said. She waved a hand at Naruto, and the girl's eyes tracked him. Even past the opaque surface of the helmet, the child seemed to catch Naruto's eyes.

"Thanks for helping my Mummy! May I pet your kitty?" the girl asked innocently.

There was a brief moment of peace as all the children brave enough to do so gave Fu a quick scratch, to her rumbling delight. Then they led the almost 90 people back to the Raptor. It was a super-tight squeeze, having to cram people even into the Power Core room (which thankfully had radiation shielding) and into the cabin behind the Cockpit, but the crew of the Invictus managed. Making sure no kids were in the Cockpit, Fu shapeshifted back into her Nymph form. The passengers of the Excelsior gasped at seeing the deadly predator turn into a beautiful nude woman, but Fu paid them no mind.

Fu disengaged the clamps locking them in place to the docking collar, and they drifted clear of the station with the use of retrothrusters. She powered up the Raptor's engines, and they roared away from the gas mining facility, as she plotted a course back to the safety of the Invictus. The Assault Cruiser was now waiting for them within weapon range of the Frigate, covering the pirate vessel in case it tried to escape.

As soon as they were safely in the Docking Bay, Naruto commanded Hana *Kill the Frigate and blow the base.*

There was a brief shudder as the Mass Drivers went off, and then Hana replied *Done,* nonchalantly. *Shikamaru already has Deck 4 ready to receive the guests from the Excelsior. As soon as Hinata gets up here, we can plot a course to the nearest Konoha Federation spaceport.*

*Port Cadmus, 64.37 parsecs away. Might as well let Shikamaru plot it, we don't need to bother with warp tunneling when we're this close,* Hinata replied. *He's probably learned my technique anyway by this point.*

Naruto nodded, and turned to Sakura, who had a distant look on her face hidden by the helmet by not by Telepathy. *Don't think I didn't notice that surge of despair earlier or how you kept staring at that little girl's family. Something about their situation reminded you about your past. Are you willing to talk about it?*

Sakura grit her teeth before sighing. *It had to come out at some point, let's just wait until we get these people to safety, okay?*

Naruto nodded, then took off his helmet and tucked it under his arm. Fu put on the clothes she'd discarded earlier, to the visible regret of some of the men in the Cockpit with them. "Hey, folks. Let's go down the red tube and out the ship."

After the crew had all gotten the Raptor emptied out, Naruto addressed the gathered survivors of the Excelsior attack. "We've landed on my ship, the Invictus. I'll take you up to the guest quarters, and get you settled in, until we can return you to the safety of the nearest Konoha Federation outpost," he told them in a clear voice.

*Three hours,* Hinata informed him, pre-empting the question he was about to ask her.

"It will take us approximately three hours to reach Port Cadmus, but for now, you can have a hot meal, and there's plenty of beds if some of you want to rest," he told them considerately.

One of the older men stepped forward and nodded to John, his face filled with gratitude as he said, "Thank you Commodore Blake, for everything you've done for us."

The little girl, Clara, raised her hand. "Where's the kitty?" she asked.

Fu grinned at the little kitten maternally. "I'm the kitty. I'm like a werewolf, I can turn into a tiger when I want to," she told the young one.

While the children and some of the adults gawped at that, Naruto turned to the man. He hadn't recalled introducing himself to the male passengers.

"I recognized the Wolves of the Konoha Federation from the KFNN report, and the emblem on your chest confirmed it," the man said with a wry smile. "When I saw your interview, I dismissed the stories of heroism as some fabrication for propaganda purposes. Somewhat ironic, considering you'd be rescuing me only a week later."

Naruto returned the man's smile, and nodded in acknowledgement, before addressing the crowd once again, "If you'd care to follow me, I'll lead you to the hot meals and beds I promised."

Naruto and the girls led the passengers to the central section of Deck 9, and found the rest of his Pack waiting to help. Naruto and the Invictus crew guided the passengers up the anti-grav tube to Deck 4, and Naruto saw the cleaning robots, clearly under the command of Shikamaru, finishing up fitting fresh sheets in each room. Hinata alone went up to the Command Deck, to check that Shikamaru had gotten the course right. Naruto and the crew guided the families and singletons into their own rooms, until everyone was stowed away. Given this Deck had been designed for 300 Marines, less than a hundred civilians was simple enough. Naruto and Sakura went up to the Briefing Room to unequip their armor, and waved at Hinata as she maintained a presence on the Bridge alongside a hologram of Shikamaru.

When Naruto took a survey of who was hungry and got a massive show of hands, Naruto rolled up his sleeves and, with the help of his trained crew, made a large-scale stew that fed all of them with enough left for seconds. They all told jokes and gave smiles to put the civilians at ease, Gaara proving a surprising hit with the children after Fu.

The three hours flew by, until Hinata contacted them by Telepathy to let them know that they had arrived at Port Cadmus, and had been granted docking clearance. When she had landed the Invictus in the designated docking bay, she joined them on Deck Four, to help get the civilians disembarked. Naruto went ahead of them to open up the Docking Bay doors, making it easier for everyone to exit the ship, rather than expecting everyone to queue up to walk through the airlock.

There were a group of Konoha Federation medics and soldiers waiting to look after the passengers, having been fully briefed about the nature of their arrival by Hinata. Naruto felt a strong sense of déjà vu, recalling a very similar scene on Port Heracles, as he nodded his greeting to the young officer in command of the Port Cadmus detachment.

They all turned to watch the passengers begin to disembark. The civilians smiled at him and the crew in gratitude, with Hana and Hinata bringing up the rear of the stream of people. He recognised the blonde woman who had spoken to him back at the gas mining facility, and he realized with regret that he didn't even know her name. She whispered something to her daughter who was walking along beside her, and the young woman looked his way, her pretty face lighting up with a grateful smile. They waved him goodbye, and he watched them leave, hoping that the girl wouldn't be traumatised by the events she had suffered through.

His attention was drawn back to the remaining passengers when a haggard looking man in his early thirties approached them. He was carrying a young girl in his arms, who was currently fast asleep, and he walked towards them tentatively. His wife, still in blood-stained clothes, was beside him.

"Thank you for saving us." he said to Naruto and the Pack earnestly before turning to Naruto in particular. "And you sir… I can't believe it, and I don't care. You saved my wife's life. I can never repay you."

"I didn't do it for a reward. You can pay me back by living good lives and raising your daughter well," Naruto said simply, overwhelmed by their gratitude. He watched them go, the wife turning to give him one last disbelieving, grateful look.

Naruto watched the rest of the civilians go before walking up to the leader of the Port Cadmus soldiers.

"First Lieutenant Crawford Darren, Sir. It's an honor to meet you, Commodore," the man said respectfully, looking at him from under his peaked hat.

A quick glance at the man's epaulets let Naruto confirm his rank. "We were happy to assist, Lieutenant," he said in an even tone. "We eliminated the pirates, but I'll arrange for coordinates of their base, and the wreck of the Excelsior to be sent to you."

"Thank you, Sir," the young officer replied gratefully and saluted.

Naruto nodded and then turned to walk back into his ship, closing up the huge hull doors into the Docking Bay behind him.

*I'll set us on a course for Oto Space again, and then meet you in our bedroom,* Hinata said to him, her voice echoing in his mind.

*Thanks, honey,* he replied gratefully as he strode inside the Invictus.

The whole crew went up to Deck 2, having heard Hinata's order, and soon they were all arranged on the bed around Sakura, the center of attention. The pinkette bit her lip. "I don't know where to start," she said hesitantly.

"Would you like to be topped off, first? I know I feel better when I have a full belly of Naruto's cum," Hinata offered.

Sakura took the offer, and after a quick blowjob was wrapped in Naruto's arms, looking like she was set to pop any day now. She had a dopey grin on her face, the result of the psychic feedback of the blowjob. The crew all slipped out of their clothes given they'd cum in their pants, and cuddled in closer to Sakura, who sleepily got out of her own clothes. Once they were all naked and touching Sakura in some way, she started.

"I was eight when it happened. We lived on New Eden in the Procyon system, and I had grown up on our family estate there. My mother had gone on a shopping trip to the capital, Avalon, which was just a short flight away from our home. She was protected by bodyguards of course, but on the way home, the hover-limo was ambushed, the guards killed, and she was kidnapped," the brunette said as she let out a heavy sigh.

"She'd been targeted because they knew exactly who she was married to, and everyone knows how wealthy my father is. They demanded twenty million credits for her safe release, probably figuring it was such a drop in the ocean for him, he would pay up without a second thought. They had no idea what an arrogant and stubborn man the 'great' Haruno Henry would turn out to be though," she said, bristling with anger.

Tenten looked at her sympathetically, and took her hand, squeezing it gently as she said, "He didn't pay up I take it?"

Sakura shook her head sadly. "I heard him speaking to the police detective who had been investigating a spate of high profile kidnappings on New Eden, and he urged my father to pay. I didn't understand what they were talking about at the time, but when my father refused to give in to their demands, I soon found out the hard way," she replied bitterly.

Naruto leaned over to one side so that he could see her face. "Did they catch the kidnappers?" he asked her gently.

The pinkette frowned in anger, shaking her head. "It was bad enough that she was taken away from me like that, but to know that the people responsible were never brought to justice makes it even worse. They should have paid for what they did to my mother," she said in a furious voice.

"I know it's a lot to ask, but when we can spare some time, do you think we could look into my mother's kidnapping? I feel bad dragging you all into it, but you have resources and skills that are way beyond me acting on my own," she requested tentatively.

Naruto nodded firmly and smiled at her. "We'll start right away," he replied, before glancing at Hinata. "Change course for the Procyon System, please."

"We will make them pay," Sasuke vowed.

Tenten darted over to hug her friend. "Those fuckers are dead men walking!" she swore vehemently.

Fu stroked Sakura's leg and said in a deadly voice, "We'll hunt down everyone responsible and help you avenge your mother."

Hana nodded at Hinata as the pair of them moved to get up off the bed. "I'll start investigating the old cases, see if there's any connections tying them together, and look for clues," the Lieutenant said, looking thoughtful.

"I can search for remnants to aid in the case," Gaara volunteered.

Sakura held her up hands and said loudly, "Wait a moment... please!"

They all paused and turned to look at her, and she smiled at them all affectionately. "I appreciate your enthusiasm, truly, but we don't have to drop everything immediately. We're nearly at the Oto border, and New Eden is right in the Core Worlds. If it's alright with you, we can stop there and investigate my mother's murder on our way to Iwa Space. That's on the way, right?" she asked, looking at Hinata for confirmation.

The bluenette girl sat back down on the bed. "Yes, you're correct. A course from here to the Iwa Republic would take us past the Core Worlds," she agreed, with a smile.

The girls all settled down again and nodded their agreement with the plan.

Sakura stared at them all, a lump welling up in her throat. "Thank you all, it means so much to see how passionately you all want to help me," she said with a gulp.

Naruto hugged her tightly. "Of course, we'd do anything for you. You're part of the family now," he said sincerely.

The Pack all agreed and moved in for a group hug with Rachel in the middle. She sighed blissfully as they gathered around her, feeling loved and supported. They all eventually separated and she smiled at them gratefully.

"You guys are so awesome. Thanks again for reminding me what a wonderful decision I made joining you," she said passionately.

Hinata frowned at her playfully. "Are you after another group hug?" she asked, as her face lit up with a mischievous grin.

They had dinner afterwards, settling on Sakura's mother's pasta dish again to honor the fallen woman. Sakura babbled about all the fascinating things she'd learned from studying their DNA. Turns out that Fu and Gaara showed signs that, past the hybrid Uzu genes, they had definitely started out as Uzu created species. She explained that when she looked at the DNA strands, she could see Orochimaru's 'fingerprints' all over them, but the Uzu sections had Naruto's 'fingerprints'. Whereas Konoha DNA showed no tampering at all. If Orochimaru had indeed made the Konoha as Gaara insisted, then he'd done so with a completely virgin template, perhaps a copy of another species somewhere else in the galaxy.

When they absorbed this fascinating information, they were all tired from a long day. They all bid Shikamaru good night and made for a shower and bed. Of course, their libidos got the better of them and they ended up having an orgy, coming together in new and unique combinations they hadn't explored yet before collapsing into bed, a lucky one filled with Naruto's release.

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**Please fave, follow, or review.**


	36. Chapter 36

**Long time no see! I haven't actually written anything new. This is just the update I never posted... and the next 20 over the next three weeks, heheheh.**

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After such an energetic orgy, the entire crew slept soundly, only waking at about nine the next morning. Naruto was the first to wake up, as was usually the case, and he stretched lazily, with a broad grin on his face as the memories of the previous night came flooding back to him.

"Hey, Shikamaru, how far are we from Geniya Station?" Naruto whispered, trying to let his Pack sleep as long as possible.

"About half an hour. It's 0900," the AI replied just as quietly.

Despite their precautions, the Pack indeed woke up due to Naruto's awakened thoughts. In a Mexican wave of lovely torsos, the crew sat up and grinned up at Naruto, leaving him feeling like the luckiest sumbitch in the galaxy.

After a brief shower, they split up to get dressed, with business attire being the order of the day. Naruto got dressed in a light grey suit, with a white shirt and royal blue tie, while Sasuke went for a black suit, black shirt, and silver tie. As they tied the full Windsor knots, they watched Hinata as she sashayed past them wearing matching white underwear, and cream colored heels, trailing a finger lightly along her formal outfits as if deciding which one to wear.

She eventually stepped into a cream pencil skirt, which she pulled up over her pert bottom, and put on a white blouse, before sliding her slender arms through the sleeves of her jacket. She glided over to stand before them, and reached out with her hand to gently feel the heat of their hard cocks through their trousers. She nodded with satisfaction that her outfit had achieved the desired result, then smiled at them coyly before sauntering out into the bedroom.

Naruto followed after the mischievous girl, laughing heartily and shaking his head while Sasuke grumbled good naturedly. The rest of his crew were waiting for them in the corridor outside their quarters, and he stopped to admire them too.

Tenten was wearing a two-piece outfit, which consisted of a light grey, figure hugging skirt that stopped just above the knee, and a matching crop top with three-quarter length sleeves, that left her shoulders bare. Hana was wearing a similar outfit , but this one was a black sleeveless high neckline crop top that revealed an inch of her toned stomach. Fu was wearing a long form-fitting one-piece aquamarine dress that ended mid-thigh, and showed off her shapely legs, while Sakura was wearing a black fishtail skirt that ended above the knee, along with a white short-sleeved, closely fitting blouse. Gaara had elected for a tan suit with a white shirt and red tie, bringing out his hair.

Wearing heels, all five girls were nearly at his height, and they smiled with satisfaction at his obvious approval, as Naruto, Sasuke, and Gaara whistled appreciatively when they posed for them. They had all taken the time to artfully apply make-up, and the cosmetics skilfully enhanced their natural beauty, giving them smoky eyes and making their eyelashes seem even longer as they gave him come-hither looks.

"We were going for 'secretary that would look great on her knees' as a look. Did we pull it off?" the Matriarch of their little family asked the men.

"You'll cause riots with every red-blooded humanoid we pass," Sasuke said woefully in jest.

"The Suna would literally worship you as goddesses if they saw you now," Gaara provided.

Naruto looked thoughtful before stepping forward to caress their stomachs. "You all look the part for any business meeting, and I can honestly say I don't think I've seen you girls look any sexier. All I'm wondering right now, is how stretchable the material around the waistline needs to be, so I'd say a resounding success!"

The girls grinned with delight, and he gestured politely for them to proceed to the Officers' Lounge for breakfast, while he followed behind, walking beside Hinata.

*That's a hell of a view,* she thought to him, as they both watched the girls' hips swaying seductively as they glided along in their heels while the men walked purposefully with shoulders back.

Naruto glanced at her, and grinned, as he said, *Aren't I supposed to be the one saying that?*

*Hey, they're all gorgeous, and I love fucking them as much as you do,* she told him saucily, much to his amusement.

They had a quick breakfast and made it up for the Bridge. They all settled into their respective stations, Naruto overlooking them all from the Command Chair.

"So, tell us about Kakashi. He is the reason we came all the way out here," Tenten reasoned, taking a break from talking to Shikamaru.

"He's a trader of luxury items. I traded with him six months ago for a shipment of Rylein Cagfish I got cheap at the Mizu border. I made most of the money I needed for the first Tyrenium deal in that trade, but the stink in the Cargo Bay took weeks to dissipate! Anyway, he's very civilized, very attached to the finer things in life. At the same time, he's very down to earth and wise. And he's got a great sense of humor. I think he'd do great as our Banker, working all our money to do some good with it all instead of just sitting in my account gathering dust," Naruto explained.

"You're going to become a philanthropist, now?" Sasuke asked.

"Why not? I have enough money to make a difference. A financial whiz, particularly an enhanced Uzu, should make that wealth even bigger and self-sustaining. Then we can start helping out in a way that doesn't involve grisly murder. Set up a foundation for asteroid colonies like Karron, increase patrols to cut down on piracy, maybe set up modular spaceports to make more outposts along the borders. Anything's possible if you can pay for it, and Kakashi could enable that," Naruto argued.

Hinata and Tenten were severely touched. "You're thinking about how many geniuses like Tenten slipped through the cracks, aren't you?" Hinata asked.

"That, and people in those kind of places deserve a good quality of life, same as anyone. Where they can trust in the law instead of street law. I know it's a big problem and could take years and billions to combat, but we've got nothing but time." Naruto grinned at his asteroid girls. "I want us to be able to tour Karron with our children without fear of getting shot. Show them where Mama Hinata and Mama Tenten came from."

This was too much for the Karron girls and they rushed to hug him, tears in their eyes. Luckily, all their make-up was waterproof. Naruto handled the armful of crying females, offering them comfort as they got over their moment, and then let them go to return to their stations.

There was a soft chime just as Hinata sat in the XO Chair. "Saved by the bell," she quipped at Naruto as they arrived in the Theta Aquarii system. Hinata brought up the System Map, which showed the large yellow star of the Theta Aquarii system, and the Invictus dropped out of hyperwarp as they approached the gravity well of the star. At the far side of the map, deeper into Oto territory, was the trading outpost. Hinata brought up the Tactical Map too, and the passive sensors began to provide more information on the vessels in the area.

The trading outpost was actually a huge starport that seemed to be bustling with activity, and the transponders from dozens of merchant vessels from all sorts of alien species now began to appear on the map. Each ship was displayed as the sensors gathered more data, and Tenten watched the Tactical Map eagerly, excited to see so many strange and unusually shaped alien spacecraft.

Much closer to them however, and directly between them and the trading post, was a colossal Freighter that seemed to be stationary, as though waiting for docking clearance. Hinata altered their course so that they would fly around it, and as they drew closer, the Freighter appeared in detail on the Tactical Map, causing the crew to gasp in shock.

"The Warning," Naruto confirmed for them in a somber voice, as they glanced back at him in awe.

Tenten brought up a detailed zoomed-in view of the massive Freighter, and the hologram hovered above them in the center of the Bridge. The archaic vessel was huge, nearly two kilometers long, and they could all immediately tell some horrible fate had befallen it. The enormous merchant ship had been hit by hundreds of laser blasts, and every facing showed catastrophic weapon damage to the armor plating. Titanium armour had been blasted away in innumerable impact areas, with huge gouges carved through the thick plating before slicing into the hull beneath. As they drew alongside, they could see that vast holes had been melted directly through the gigantic ship, punching through the superstructure and coring out the stricken Freighter. The diameter of these tunnels was so wide, they were almost big enough for the Invictus to fly through.

"What kind of Laser weapons could cause that?" Fu asked, cowed by the display of Oto military might.

"Most of those gouges, we could do with our Uzu 0.5 tech. Those big holes though, those are from something bigger than Beams. The Laser equivalent of Mass or Singularity Drivers, in terms of scale," Tenten said, analyzing the Warning with the eye of one who makes things that break other things.

"Could we outfit our ship with something like that?" Sasuke asked, curious.

"I could rough out a design that would replace the Beams, but they would be real power hogs. Three ports per weapon, so we'd go from 6 super Beams to 2, well, ultra Beams. But we'd be lucky we have an Uzu 0.5 Power Core; the other weapons otherwise wouldn't have been able to even fire while the Big Ones were charging," Tenten argued.

"The Beams don't really have much of a firing arc anyway, and the Laser Cannons are stronger than standard Konoha Federation Beams. I say we do it," Hana said excitedly. "And while we're at it, can we upgrade my Chair? I'm feeling really limited with this Konoha interface, compared to the Uzu one in my head."

"Okay, but it'll take me a few days and a lot of Invictium to shape the barrels and then install all the gear to make it operational. And then we'd have to be in drydock, to remove the Beams and install the new… what are we going to call them? They're not Quantum," Tenten asked.

Gaara rose a hand. "According to Suna's spies, the most powerful example of Oto Laser weaponry is known as the Nova Lance."

"It's not stealing if we come up with it ourselves. Then it's the same as convergent evolution," Sasuke argued.

"All the same, I'd wait until we're out of Oto space before we install them. Don't want them thinking we stole their schematics," Naruto advised his crew, which coming from him was good as an order.

"While we're here, why not try for their schematics? I doubt they're better than Uzu 0.5 but we might as well check, right?" Hinata asked.

"I'll bring it up with Kakashi before we offer him the Gift," Naruto promised.

Fu brought the Invictus in closer, and a flashing light on Naruto's console told them that they were being hailed. He nodded at Gaara and he pressed a couple of buttons, opening the comm channel with the Oto Space station. The view screen crackled for a second, and an image of a humanoid in ornate armour filled the display.

Sakura looked on eagerly for her first glimpse at the Oto. The alien's armor was gold and worked with intricate silver filigree in elaborate, swirling designs, and included a helmet that completely covered the Oto's face. It was by far the most ostentatious set of armour she had ever seen, even managing to make their own glossy white Armor suits look positively bland in comparison.

"Greetings, and welcome to the Geniya Trading post!" The Oto starport traffic controller said in a pleasant tone. "Please could you identify yourselves, and let me know what business you have with us today?"

"My name is Uzumaki Naruto, in command of the Invictus, and I'm hoping to be able to meet with the merchant Kakashi, to discuss some trade deals," Naruto replied in a polite and courteous tone.

The Oto bowed his head respectfully, then said, "You are welcome at Geniya again, Mr Uzumaki. Please proceed to Docking Bay 24, and I'll provide your navigation computer with the guide path. Would you like me to contact Kakashi to let him know of your arrival?"

"That would be much appreciated, thank you," Naruto replied with a respectful nod of his head.

"I hope you have a pleasant visit with us, Mr Uzumaki," the Oto said amiably, and then ended the call.

The green guide path appeared, showing them the route to take, that would lead them to the correct docking bay from the dozens dotting the starboard side of the starport. Fu turned the Invictus, and gently powered up their engines, bringing them in closer to the starport at a sedate pace.

"They seem very friendly," Sakura observed, as she looked up at Naruto.

He smiled at her and nodded as he replied, "As I said before, the Oto are a friendly and civilized species, and trading with them is quite enjoyable."

"They just slaughter you mercilessly if you invade their territory," Sasuke said in a blase manner.

"And unlike everyone else in the League apart from them, we know what they look like," Hinata pointed out. "If all the women are as hot as Guren, we might be recruiting quite a few," she said playfully.

"Let's focus on Kakashi for now, okay honey?" Naruto begged.

They turned back to watch the Geniya spaceport as it loomed larger above them, and the Oto architectural design turned out to be just as striking as their armor. The whole station was colored a rich gold, that seemed to reflect the light of the sun, making the whole outpost gleam brightly as it hung there in the blackness of space. Where the Konoha Federation tended to build their starports vertically, the Oto station spread out in a wide arc, the surface dotted with towers and spires that reached gracefully for the heavens.

As Fu brought their Assault Cruiser around on final approach to the Docking Bay, the green guide path brought them higher, and gave them an even better view of the station. From here they could see that there were numerous curving crystal domes built into the surface, and from the green foliage within, it was obvious they were hydroponic zones.

"This place is beautiful!" Sakura remarked in wonder, voicing the thoughts that the other Pack members were sharing too.

Tenten looked up at Naruto and grinned as she remarked, "I think the Konoha Federation could learn a thing or two about design aesthetics from the Oto!"

There was a chorus of agreement as they looked out over the resplendent starport before them, until they were eventually swallowed up by the Docking Bay. Fu brought them in to land, and the Invictus touched down gently in the center of the huge room. Naruto stood and smiled at the others as they rose to join him, enjoying the view as they walked ahead of him towards the anti-grav tube.

"What about weapons or armor?" Shikamaru asked as they were leaving.

"The Oto won't tolerate any fighting in their spaceports. Besides, we're psychic. We always have weapons and armor. Now please keep an eye on the ship," Naruto called out, waving at the purple hologram as he left the Command Deck.

"Like I have nothing better to do," the AI playfully griped.

They descended in the red glow of the anti-grav tube until making it to the airlock, which spun open for them courtesy of Shikamaru. Unexpectedly, there wasn't a single noticeable difference between the air quality of Geniya Station and the clear, crisp air provided by Tenten's Uzu Oxygen filters.

"Guess Orochimaru left some of his tech behind for the Oto to play with, like he did for the Suna," Tenten reasoned.

"Let's not mention that name around here. We don't know how much they remember," Naruto cautioned.

They all filed out through the airlock, which Hinata closed behind her, as she was the last person to exit the ship. The interior of the Docking Bay wasn't quite as ostentatious as the exterior, but the walls were still a bright metallic silver, with heavy gold ornamentation on the support buttresses and around the doorframes. Two guards stood at the entrance to the actual facility itself, and they nodded at Naruto and waved him and his retinue through as they approached.

Tenten couldn't resist giving their laser rifles a glance with Material Sight. They turned out to be of similar quality to the Laser Railgun, if perhaps a tad weaker and with much worse heatsinks. All but confirming that Uzu 0.5 Lasers were equal or better to Oto Lasers. Tenten was quite smug that she had reverse-engineered weapons that matched the 'best' in the Galactic League.

The corridor leading out from the Docking Bay had a high ceiling, with a transparent crystalline window that ran the entire length, providing an excellent view of the stars overhead. This section of the spaceport was quiet and empty, but as they reached the end of the corridor, they could hear the bustle of activity coming from the room beyond. After striding through the large doorway, they found themselves on a long, curving gallery that overlooked a thriving merchant district.

The girls darted forward eagerly, then leant against the balcony, looking out at the hundreds of aliens gathered below. They stared and pointed at the really unusually shaped ones, while trying to be discreet and not too raucous about it. Numerous Oto were dotted through the crowd, either merchants themselves, or guards on patrol, reminding everyone of their presence in the trade district. Gaara and Sasuke stayed next to Naruto, both having seen plenty of aliens in their lives.

*This reminds me of our first trip to Port Heracles,* Hinata thought to him happily, as she leaned over the balcony to drink in the amazing sights before them.

Naruto walked up behind her, and watched over her shoulder, looking to see what had drawn her attention. *At least you can stare to your heart's content from up here,* he teased her playfully, remembering his warning to her about being too obvious about it.

Sakura and Tenten walked up to them and flanked him, looking up at his face eagerly. "Can you tell us what all these species are, please?" they asked him sweetly.

He laughed and nodded, and they clapped excitedly, before leaning out over the balcony once again. Tenten spotted a couple of diminutive Suna walking through the crowds, standing out with their shiny silver jumpsuits and large bulbous heads, and she pointed them out to Sakura.

They all felt a mental knock on their shields and opened them to hear one of the Suna state *Greetings to you, UzumakiNaruto, and your curvaceous companions. And greetings, Ambassador Gaara. Your form proves you are now a bridge between our peoples,* the Suna said in reverent awe.

*Thank you. Best of wishes to you,* Naruto thought back, while on the Pack mind he told Gaara *See, not everyone stares in a bad way.*

They then returned their attention to the aliens below, and Naruto began to identify them for the inquisitive girls.

"That's a Yuki," he said, nodding towards a bizarre looking creature that looked somewhat like a mottled green eel, but had two pairs of arms. It was raised up, standing about seven feet tall, and looked like the letter 'S' as it slithered across the plaza below.

The girls pointed out a wide variety of alien creatures, and Naruto dutifully identified each species, as the unknowing aliens went about their business. From a squat looking mollusc, with five eyes at the end of long stalks, to a thin, feathered avian species, which had a blunt beak and numerous dextrous looking talons at the end of its several short arms and wings; he named every unique species that the girls could spot.

"Hey, that's an Umi isn't it?" Hinata asked him, nodding her head towards the familiar dark green gelatinous blob that she saw squelching from merchant to merchant, examining their catalogues of goods. It was followed by a couple of robotic porters that carried numerous boxes in their arms.

Naruto followed her look and nodded when he spotted the creature. "Well remembered," he said with a smile, recalling her first encounter with one months before.

*Hello!* Hinata thought to the viscous, jelly-like creature. *How are you today?*

The Umi paused, turned slightly, and then seemed to jump a little. Without a face of any kind, it was quite hard for Hinata to tell which way the creature was looking, or what kind of emotions it was feeling.

*My apologies, blinding one, I was absorbed in my browsing. Pleasant greetings to you as well. May I be of assistance to you on this splendid morning?* The Umi thought to her in its kind, melodic voice.

*No, I'm fine thanks! I met an Umi on Port Heracles, and he was very nice. I just wanted to say, 'Hi',* she said to the alien in a friendly tone.

The Umi seemed to think a smile to her and said, *You seem very nice as well, blinding one. If you'll forgive me, I must return to my business, but I hope you have a lovely day!*

Hinata sent him a mental wave goodbye, copying the technique that the Umi had used with her, before focusing her attention on her friends once more.

Sakura tapped a finger against her chin. "Is it just me, or are the only bipedal humanoids we've seen been made by you-know-who? I need to give that Kusa you stuffed in the cryopod another look. Maybe they were made as an attack species, disposable soldiers on the front lines to replace the Thralls."

"That's a good idea. Now, I think we've done enough ogling for one day. Let's head for Kakashi," Naruto told his crew.

It took them about ten minutes to walk completely around the gallery until they reached the end of the long merchant district. Naruto led them down a broad set of steps, and then they weaved through the throng of alien merchants as they walked over to the entrance to the Oto Trading Commission. The area behind them had been set aside for all alien races to set up stalls to barter their wares, but the area they were walking into now was reserved for the various Oto merchants themselves.

The main foyer area was huge, and relatively peaceful after the chaotic gathering behind them. Trees and flower gardens were spaced evenly around the massive room, and fully armored Oto civilians went about their business, while armed Oto guards stood to attention around the walls. There were lots of elaborate glass frontage areas along each wall, with long cloth banners in various bright colours hanging down from the ceiling.

Naruto looked around for a moment, and spotted a crimson banner with an elaborate sigil on it, over on the far side of the room. "Kakashi's offices are over there," he told them, pointing it out clearly to his companions.

Sakura was distracted, using X-Ray Vision to look through the armor of the various Oto. "Gaara was right, they're all men. We haven't passed a single Oto woman since we got here," she said in a low tone so the Oto wouldn't overhear.

Naruto led them through the wide crystalline entranceway to Kakashi's offices, and the lobby interior had a number of elaborate fountains spaced around, the water tinkling musically. The floors were made of some kind of polished stone that looked to have been pristinely fitted, with the striations in the stone flowing smoothly across the large room, and the joins between slabs were completely invisible. An Oto in intricate gold and red armor was studying a holographic interface, and he turned to greet them when they walked towards him.

"Naruto! It's wonderful to see you! I received a call from Traffic letting me know you were on your way, and I've been on tenterhooks ever since. How long has it been?" the Oto asked, sounding overjoyed as he held out his hand to clasp Naruto's in a firm handshake.

Naruto grinned at the armored man, and exclaimed, "It's great to see you too Kakashi! At least six months since I saw you last I think. Did you manage to shift those Cagfish?"

Kakashi doubled over with laughter. "That was such a sweet deal! Even if those damnable creatures stank up my warehouse! I had a buyer all lined up, but he... backed out... at the last minute. I managed to hunt around, and then found someone desperate for a shipment for an ambassador's reception. I doubled my profit in a stroke!" the Oto said with glee.

The crew all read between the lines: his first buyer had been killed in an Oto power game, which Gaara told them was all but a cornerstone of their culture.

"Very nice, you must have made a fortune," Naruto said, nodding appreciatively, and smiling at his friend's success.

Kakashi glanced at the girls and guys and tilted his head to the side as he turned to look at Naruto again. "You seem to have expanded your crew somewhat since we last spoke. And there's me thinking you were a lone wolf!" he said, teasing him gently.

Naruto grinned self-consciously, then turned to the crew and said, "Kakashi, please let me introduce Hinata, Sasuke, Hana, Tenten, Fu, Gaara, and Sakura. Lady Luck's been smiling on me recently too, and they all help me crew my new ship."

"Ah yes, Commodore Uzumaki Naruto and the Assault Cruiser Invictus," Kakashi said with some amusement. "Not bad, for someone who was supposed to have retired from the military a decade ago."

"How did you...?" Naruto blurted, looking startled.

Kakashi wagged a finger in his direction, "Come, come, Naruto. You should know better than to ask me something like that," he said, and it was easy to visualise the Oto's smirk, even behind the armored helmet.

Sakura took advantage of the opportunity to stand that close to a Oto, and studied the alien curiously. The gold and red armor he wore was elegant and form fitting, studded with a myriad of extremely valuable glimmering gemstones, making the suit worth a small fortune. Kakashi himself stood at about 5'10 in his armored boots, so with Sakura wearing high heels, she actually looked down on him slightly. The Oto was obviously of a slim build, but other than that, he could well have been a Konoha with an Ectomorph body type.

Kakashi waved them over to some double doors that seemed to suddenly appear out of the wall, and had begun to open smoothly. "It's a pleasure to meet you all, ladies and gentlemen," he said to the crew graciously. "Why don't we go and relax somewhere a little more comfortable?"

The Pack nodded, and followed after Naruto and Kakashi as they strolled down a long corridor with a clear crystal ceiling. They passed a few doors to their left and right, before a set of double doors began to open up in front of them, further down the corridor to the left. Naruto walked through the doors after Kakashi, and the large room contained a number of comfortable looking sofas, and an ornate desk against the far wall.

There was another armored Oto sitting behind the desk, fully absorbed in whatever it was looking at. The Oto ignored them completely as they all trooped into the room, and Kakashi held out his hand invitingly, gesturing for Naruto and the crew to sit down. He then strode over to the desk, and he seemed to bristle with anger as he looked down at the seated Oto.

"Karin, I have guests. Could you use another room, please," he requested in a civil tone, but it was obviously a struggle.

*This one's a female, no doubt,* Sakura thought to them all, using standard Telepathy for all but Naruto.

The seated Oto snorted with contempt, and then rose gracefully, picking up a sinister looking black device from the desk as it stood. When the Oto, Karin, walked around the desk and finally looked up at them, she suddenly stumbled, gasping in shock. The black device she held in her hand tumbled from her fingertips and crashed to the floor, shattering into dozens of pieces. Karin staggered backwards clutching at the desk for support, before she got a hold of herself, and sprinted from the room, abandoning the wrecked device that lay smashed on the floor.

Naruto and the Pack all tensed. *She recognized me,* Naruto stated without a drop of doubt.

*Yet Kakashi didn't. Maybe the women kept the history alive on the core worlds and the men forgot out here on the trading posts,* Sasuke theorized.

*What do we do, run after her? She could be going to call for help,* Hinata worried.

*Until such time as a fight starts, let's not act aggressively. For all we know, she's running to hide under her bed and pray we go away. Let's focus on Kakashi for now,* Naruto ordered the Pack.

All this taking place at the speed of thought, Kakashi was still sweeping the fragments of the black device before settling in his chair. "Sorry about that," he said wearily. "She can be a real bitch."

"I don't recall seeing Karin around here before," Naruto mused, addressing Kakashi, who sat behind his desk, drumming his fingers on the glossy surface with irritation.

"No, thank heavens. She's a 'guest', and I only have to put up with her for another week, then it'll be glorious peace and quiet once again," Kakashi replied wistfully.

He looked over the desk, and tsked with annoyance at the mess the shattered device had made on the floor. A few seconds later a couple of cleaning robots glided in silently on some kind of hover system, and they began to efficiently sweep up the scattered components.

Kakashi seemed to suddenly remember he had guests to attend to, and he sprang to his feet, while tapping out a series of commands on the console. A section of the coffee table folded back on itself and a hidden platform rose up, revealing a decanter of crimson wine, and a number of delicate crystal glasses.

"Naruto, everyone, please help yourselves. I humbly apologise for that awkward incident, you must think terribly of Oto hospitality," Kakashi said, sounding embarrassed.

Sat on three couches arranged in a 'u' facing Kakashi's desk, the eight members of the Pack served themselves glasses of the sweet red wine, which proved quite flavorful. After taking a second sip to really savor the aroma, Naruto put down his glass. *Hinata, project a Silence field. I don't want anyone listening in, not even his own cameras.*

*I'm on it,* his Matriarch replied faithfully.

Kakashi stared at the beautiful young women for a moment, before turning to look at Naruto. "So what brings Lady Luck's most favoured son to my humble abode?" he asked curiously.

Naruto felt the wave of psionic energy from his mate and knew that they were safe from prying ears. "I have two offers. I hope you say yes to both, but I hardly expect it. They're hard sells, to be sure."

Kakashi leaned forward on steepled fingers. "I'm intrigued. Go on, I'm listening."

"The first offer is you give us or put us in contact with someone who can give us Oto Laser weaponry, to the tune of 5 billion ryo," Naruto said uninterestedly. It was pure academic curiosity on Tenten's part to see their Laser tech at this point.

Kakashi sighed. "I am most pleased for you that you have come into those kinds of assets. But I'm afraid I cannot help you. Selling or even showing our Laser weaponry to non-Oto is a capital crime among my people. I'm sorry to tell you, Naruto, that no amount of ryo will get you those weapons for your ship or crew."

Naruto shrugged. "No matter. The ones we have now work well enough. I just figured I'd ask."

Kakashi tilted his head. "And the second offer?"

Naruto sighed. "The short version is, you abandon your business and join my crew. You want to hear the long version or should we just leave now?"

Sasuke winced. *You need to work on your technique. That was blunt as all hell.*

Kakashi startled, leaning back in his chair. "Excuse me? Naruto, friend, I care for you like a brother but what could possibly motivate me to leave my business to join you?"

Naruto leaned forward, his eyes intent, X-Ray Vision letting him monitor Kakashi's facial features. He tried not to be distracted by how pretty the man was. "Tell me, does the name 'Orochimaru' ring a bell for you?"

Kakashi blinked before bursting into laughter. "You studied more of Oto culture than I thought, Naruto! What does any of this have to do with an old fairy tale?"

"I haven't heard it but let me guess. Orochimaru came to the Oto, took the women, and disappeared. Every now and then he'd come back and kidnap more women. Something like that?" Naruto asked piercingly.

"Yes, yes, nonsense to scare our daughters into behaving. It's nothing but a scary story."

Naruto steepled his fingers. "What if I told you it wasn't a fairy tale? What if I told you that Orochimaru was a real person, a member of a race called the Uzu, that was a powerful psychic that used mind control to turn thousands of women into sexual slaves and soldiers in his armies? What if I told you that he genetically altered the Oto to have the skewed birth rate I'm not supposed to know about?"

Kakashi went deadly still. "How could you possibly know that? If it were true, it would be ancient history."

Naruto waved a hand at Gaara. "Gaara was born on Suna. They're psychic too. They can pass on memories, perfectly preserved, from one generation to another. Orochimaru enslaved the Suna the same way he enslaved the Oto. The difference is, the Suna remembered. And if that's not enough to convince you, Fu here is actually over 10,000 years old. She met Orochimaru in the flesh. We can show you the memory if you want."

Kakashi was silent for a minute. X-Ray Vision showed his eyes darting back and forth in racing thought as sweat dripped down his brow. "Say, for argument's sake, that I believe you… what does this have to do with me joining your crew?"

Naruto tilted his head to show his ears. "You know I'm not Konoha. Guess what I am."

Kakashi's jaw dropped. "You?! You're one of these… Uzu? You want me as your sex slave?"

Naruto shook his head. "I'm VERY different from Orochimaru. For one thing, I don't use mind control. Every member of my crew joined me because they gave informed consent. Second, I swing both ways. Hence my equal interest in you as in Hinata here. Third, I'm not building an army to conquer, I'm creating a family to defend."

Kakashi laid his hands down on his desk. "You… want me to join your family? Why? We're friends, but nothing special."

"I've had a crush on you for years now. I can honestly say I like you for your mind rather than your body," Naruto said, before getting a salacious smirk. "Of course, now that I can see your body, I like it very much."

"What do you mean?" Kakashi asked, suddenly terrified.

"When we met six months ago, my powers were inactive. I hadn't met the right conditions yet. Now, I have X-Ray Vision, among other things. I can see you now, from your black hair to your blue skin to your pointed ears," Naruto revealed.

Kakashi tensed. "There are only two capital crimes among the Oto. One is giving away the Laser weaponry. The other is revealing ourselves to outsiders."

"Then you're in luck, you haven't revealed yourself. And none of us will mention your skin color in earshot of other Oto," Naruto reassured.

"Karin is probably listening to us right now! She's the best hacker I've ever heard of, my firewalls would be nothing to her!" Kakashi said, suddenly panicked.

Naruto used just a touch of Psychic Sleep to calm Kakashi down. "Relax, we've got it covered. We put up a silencing field. Those microphones are picking up nothing."

Kakashi blinked behind his armor. "Okay… I definitely felt that. I'll believe this psychic powers nonsense. But we still haven't covered why I would join your crew and give up my hard-earned empire."

"I can only tell you that, overall, you'll probably gain more than you'll lose. There's a great many benefits to joining my crew, even if the lifetime membership bothers some people," Naruto said winningly.

Kakashi sighed. "Again, for argument's sake, let's say I was interested. What are these benefits?"

"First and foremost, immortality," Naruto said straight-faced.

Kakashi would have done a spit-take if he'd been drinking anything. "What the fuck?" he demanded.

"If you have any medical background, I can show you the data on our telomeres. Otherwise, you'll just have to take our word for it," Sakura spoke up from where she'd been listening attentively.

"Orochimaru reigned over the Oto for approximately 60,000 Konoha years," Gaara stated with confidence.

Kakashi seemed to absorb that. "Okay, having eternity to remake my fortune makes abandoning my business slightly more palatable. What else?"

"You'll become bisexual, so you'll be able and willing to have fun with the whole crew. You'll get psychic powers, just as many as I have. You'll have access to our funds, in excess of 5 billion, to spend as you please. You'll become taller and more muscular, and your hair will probably turn white. You'll have some mild personality shifts, like the bisexuality, a tendency to be submissive, and a strong desire for children. And you'll have all of us, to be there for you in any way you need us. That's the point of Pack: we take care of each other," Naruto said, getting quite passionate at the end.

Kakashi placed a hand over his heart. "Oh, my friend, you know just how to get to me. I've been craving a family for longer than you've been alive. A REAL family, at least. But to give up everything for it, even with such fabulous gifts offered… I don't know."

"Well, it's nearly lunchtime. Why don't you come with us, get to know us, see what forever with us would be like?" Hinata offered with a stunning smile.

Kakashi stared before shaking his head. "Oh, Naruto, your women are sly temptresses indeed!" Kakashi called out. "Very well. I'll treat you to the best restaurant in Geniya Station! The owner owes me a favor. Just let me call in the booking and we can be on our way."


	37. Chapter 37

Kakashi quickly made the call with the restaurant owner and soon they were set. The Oto gave a sweeping bow, and then strolled over to the double doors, which parted and opened for him as he approached. Naruto and the crew stood, and followed him out into the corridor, where he led them back to the reception area of his offices. Fu's hackles rose as they were walking away, and she had the distinct impression she was being watched by unfriendly eyes. She glanced back down the corridor, and just caught a flash of gold as someone at the other end disappeared into one of the adjacent rooms.

*Karin was watching us leave,* she reported faithfully to the Pack.

Naruto nodded and turned to Kakashi. "What can you tell me about Karin? Because she seemed to recognize what I was."

Kakashi tilted his head. "You know, if your story is true, that would explain why she reacted that way. Anyway, she's the daughter of the leader of the Noble House, which granted me my trading license. She has business here at Geniya and, since I am in her House's thrall, I was ordered to host her."

"What House? And who's this leader?" Sasuke asked, digging for information.

Kakashi eyed the guards they were passing but decided to risk it. "Anko of House Guren. And a more terrifying woman, I've yet to hear of."

The Pack perked up. *Would that make Anko and Karin direct descendants of Orochimaru?* Hinata asked.

*Guren was Orochimaru's Matriarch, and they're inherently psychic. Maybe Anko and Karin have powers,* Tenten reasoned.

It was just a short walk to the tall arched set of doors that led away from the Merchant District, and down a wide passageway that had clear crystal walls and an equally transparent ceiling. The vista of the stars overhead was breathtaking, and the clear walls also offered them unparalleled views of the rest of the starport. The crew were seeing all this for the first time, and they stopped to point out sights to each other as they meandered their way down the corridor. They eventually reached the end, which seemed to open out into one of the verdant hydroponic domes, and a sweeping staircase curved around to their right, while an ornately armored Oto waited by a lectern at the foot of the stairs.

"Welcome to Natralis, Mr Uzumaki and Mr Kakashi," the Oto said warmly, seemingly forewarned of their arrival. "If you would care to ascend the staircase, you will be guided to your table."

Naruto nodded his gratitude to the Oto, and then offered his hand to Hana, who was waiting patiently by his side. She smiled at him appreciatively, and then they walked up the stairs at a measured pace, with the rest of the group following closely behind. The staircase wasn't that high, perhaps twenty steps, and when they reached the top, another Oto greeted them with a bow, and then gestured for them to follow. He led them to a private booth that seemed to be resting on the bough of some huge tree, and as they neared the balcony surrounding the edge of the restaurant, they were able to look out over the entire crystal dome.

"This place is incredible!" Hana whispered to him, as she marvelled at the lush green park contained in the crystalline dome.

Colorful exotic birds flew overhead, filling the air with their melodic songs, as they competed with each other in a warbling chorus. She looked around in amazement at the floor and trellis areas that separated the private booths.

"It's like this restaurant was grown right out of the tree," she said in astonishment, as she leaned precariously over the balcony, balancing herself perfectly so that she could take a look at the huge trunk of the enormous tree the restaurant was built on.

Naruto smiled at her and nodded. "The Oto certainly know a thing or two about impressive architecture and design," he agreed, as he pulled her chair out for her to sit.

"We do what we can," Kakashi understated.

Hana thanked Naruto gratefully, and he did the same for the others, before finally moving back around the table to sit between Hana and Kakashi. This section of the restaurant was obviously set up with Konoha in mind, as the cutlery settings were all very familiar, with three sets of knives and forks in decreasing sizes. The waiter came back a few moments after they were seated, and then pressed a button which projected a holographic wine list above the table. While the crew were making their choice, Naruto nodded at the waiter and smiled.

"Rather than choosing individual dishes, could you please bring us a wide selection of the chef's specials?" he requested politely. "My friends haven't tried Oto cuisine before, so they're eager to see what you have to offer."

"Of course, Sir," the Oto replied eagerly, with a bow, and then nodded as Sakura picked out a few bottles of wine for them.

"Of course you would know wine, Ms Trillionaire," Tenten teased her friend and sister and lover.

"Been drinking since I was ten. Watered, but still. Heaven forbid I should drink fruit juice at a high society banquet or political fundraiser," Sakura said with surprisingly little bitterness. She was truly starting to move past her issues and be able to see the positive side of her childhood.

The wine arrived shortly afterwards, as a gold plated robot glided up to them, carrying the bottles. Just as Naruto had poured out the wine into the crew's glasses, the waiter appeared with the starters. He moved the dishes from the tray carried by the accompanying robot, placing them in the center of the table, where they hovered silently at a variety of levels.

The girls followed Sakura's lead as she gave them a quick introduction to fine dining, and Naruto watched with some amusement as the other four girls hung on to her every word. The men were all experienced at this sort of thing already. Kakashi pulled out some kind of attachment to his helmet that allowed him to take bites of the food. Naruto waited until they were ready to begin and then they took small portions from a variety of the starters, and began to take dainty bites, using the outermost, smallest knives and forks. Sakura nodded approvingly as her students followed her instructions, but decorum began to gradually disappear as they began to excitedly sample the delicious array of exotic dishes.

Naruto tried a bit of each of the starters, and then most of the main courses, and he grinned when the waiter brought out a selection of deserts. He soldiered on and tasted a couple of those too, before finally admitting defeat with a loud groan.

"That food was incredible, but I feel totally stuffed. I think I might have overdone it," he admitted ruefully, lounging back in his chair.

*You look like one of us, now,* Hinata said, reaching over to rub his belly.

*I think it's a better look on you all than me,* he replied. He turned to Kakashi, who was detaching the eating apparatus. "So, you've had about an hour and a few cups of wine to think. What do you say, Kakashi?"

The Oto rubbed the side of his helmet, clearly wishing he could reach through to rub his forehead. "Naruto, my friend… you're asking me to abandon everything I know for an immortal life in a polyamorous Naval crew. What would I even do on a ship?"

"If it's combat you're worried about, we can teach you. As for your main duty, Financial Officer. Basically, handle our money. Start an investment portfolio. Trade stocks. Make deals. Essentially, take what we've got and make more of it. The same thing you've done since I've known you. And speaking of, what did you mean you've wanted a family longer than I've been alive?"

Kakashi turned to Naruto. "You claim to be able to see me. How old do you think I am?"

Naruto regarded the beautiful male face, looking for any sign of wrinkles or aging. "A very well-aged 50?" he guessed.

Kakashi chuckled. "I am 127 by your Konoha chronology."

The crew all turned to gawk. "How long lived are the Oto?" Sakura asked, afire with curiosity.

"One can live to 250-300 years if they keep in good health," Kakashi said helpfully, unable to resist a beautiful woman.

They paid the bill and then walked back towards the Oto Trading Commission. Kakashi seemed to be deep in thought.

"Will you at least consider it, Kakashi? I truly want you to be at my side," Naruto asked as they arrived at the Oto's offices.

"I will give everything you told me a great deal of thought, Naruto. You will have my response no later than tomorrow morning," Kakashi promised before bowing and retreating into his offices.

*Well, it's not a no yet,* Naruto thought to the crew, as they made their way back to Docking Bay 24 and the Invictus.

*Give him time, he'll come around,* Hinata encouraged.

*I loved Oto cuisine! It felt… familiar. I guess I ate a lot of it when I lived with Orochimaru. He must have set up his base in the Oto Regency,* Fu reasoned.

*If Guren was his Matriarch and she was an Oto, that makes sense. Guess with his Wormhole Generator he didn't have to worry about being centrally located to rule his Empire,* Sasuke stated.

Tenten shivered. *I cannot wait to build one of those things. The laws of physics will become my bitch.*

They arrived back at the Invictus, Shikamaru helpfully opening the airlock for them, and they all went up to Deck 2 to change out of formalwear into something more comfortable. Naruto got dressed in training wear in anticipation of his afternoon spar with Lee. They passed a few hours in the Officer's Lounge, their stomachs soaking up the drinks they had after such a filling lunch. When 1500 rolled around, Naruto made for Deck 3 and then to the simulation room.

Lee was there, taciturn as always. With barely a word of acknowledgement, they began to duel. Naruto didn't know what was different this time, but he began to see where Lee was going to attack and anticipate where each stroke of the sword would come from. Maybe Oto food had mild nootropic properties, maybe Naruto had crossed some threshold in swordship mastery, maybe his Future Sight practice was starting to pay off with a half-second passive look ahead, maybe all three or none of those reasons. The point was, Naruto was suddenly good. As good as Lee. Naruto parried an overhead slash and, using a footwork trick that he'd fallen victim to dozens of times at the hands of Lee, managed to slice off the man's sword hand.

Lee paused in disbelief, as his simulator gave an instant replay of his defeat. Then his face clouded over in anger. "I thought I told you not to use your powers!" He demanded, a look of true rage in his eyes.

Naruto put the Odachi in his hands in a swordsman's salute and bowed deeply to his teacher. "You have my word, Lee, that I did not. I swear on my honor."

"You expect me to believe that I've been practicing Kenjutsu for over 10 years and you managed to beat me after only 3 weeks of instruction?" Lee snarled.

Naruto shrugged helplessly. "I can't help if my brain is wired differently than yours. I just tried to be a good student. If it helps, think of this as a tribute to your teaching abilities. And one win after hundreds of losses isn't that indicative that I'm better than you. Maybe we're just even and I got lucky this time."

Lee seemed to sag into himself. "Your words are sincere, but that doesn't make them true. I have only lost once in my life. The worst night of my life. The night I lost Ayumi and Kimiko."

Naruto sat down, trying to make himself seem unthreatening. "Tell me about it. The more I know, the better I can help you."

Lee sheathed his Katana and sat down seiza style. "I had foiled an assassination the night before. I just happened to be in the right place at the right time. Like a fool, I let the attacker live, trusting in the authorities to handle him. The next night, he came to my house. He bested me, then killed my wife and my little girl in front of me. I don't know why he let me live, but that was a punishment worse than death."

Naruto felt his heart get heavy at the pain in the voice of the man he'd come to respect and admire. "Have you learned anything about him? His name, who he works for?"

Lee's face contorted in hatred. "The man himself, I don't know. But his master, that I found out. His name is Pein!"

Naruto sat up straight, before an ironic grin crossed his face. "This must be fate, if you don't believe in coincidence. My crew and I are already after the man named Pein."

Lee looked up at him with hungry, desperate eyes. "Why?" He demanded.

"We're fairly certain a man I ousted as a traitor put a hit out on me. One of Pein's pawns tried to lure me into an ambush. Before he died, he gave us a clue that led us to discovering Pein's empire of cybernetic assassins." Naruto shook his head. "I hate to say it, Lee, but unless you were a cyborg or psychic yourself, you would have had no hope of beating Pein, no matter how skilled you were. He'd simply be too fast and strong to win against for an unenhanced."

Lee clenched his hands into fists. "Then what do you suggest I do? Go under the knife? I can't afford those kinds of implants and it would take me months to get used to them!"

Naruto hesitated. "There is a way I could give you psychic powers, and make you naturally stronger. But it comes with a lot of strings."

Lee leaned forward, his eyes nearly manic. "I died that day. I'm just sticking around to ensure this man and all he stands for dies. Nothing you suggest would stop me."

Naruto gulped, a bit disturbed by Lee's zeal. "I could adopt you into my species. But that would necessitate you join my crew for life. And the method to change your DNA is… uncomfortable."

"I'll do it," Lee said without hesitation. "How soon can you pick me up?"

Naruto was taken aback. "You're not planning to suicide after we kill Pein are you? Because I'm serious, you'll be expected to serve me for the rest of your natural life."

"I would never disgrace their memory by joining them prematurely. I will be obedient and loyal to you for eternity should you help me bring justice to Ayumi and Kimiko," Lee vowed, meaning every word.

Naruto saw he couldn't talk Lee out of this, and nodded. "Okay. We're stopping by the Core Worlds soon, unless some major detour pops up. Give me your address and we'll pick you up. Spar tomorrow morning?"

Lee managed a small grin. "Yes, Naruto. I believe I would enjoy that."

The simulation cut off and Naruto blew out a breath. *That was heavy. And looks like we're getting another male Thrall whether Kakashi joins or not.*

*If both join, then the girls will match the guys. We can all have penetrative sex at the same time!* Tenten cheered.

*Like we couldn't already,* Hinata said jokingly.

*Insane how small the galaxy is. To think you'd get the one tutor with a connection to the people trying to kill you,* Sasuke mused.

Naruto got up, having only been in the simulation room for 45 minutes. *I think I'll get an early start on dinner. After that lunch, I need to reassert myself as the top cook!*

The crew had no complaints for Naruto pulling out all the stops. He got dressed in casual clothes and then spent a few hours preparing a lamb shank. The Pack took their first bites of the succulent, perfectly cooked joint of meat, and compliments to the chef came thick and fast.

"So, you really think Kakashi will go for it?" Hinata asked.

"Or that Lee will still be onboard when he finds out he has to blow you?" Sasuke added.

Naruto shrugged. "For Kakashi, he really seems to want to belong to something, but abandoning his life's work would be a real sacrifice. And Lee, I get the sense he'd eat my shit to become capable of getting revenge, let alone my cum."

"While I'm thinking about it, should I have the first shipment of Uzu elements sent to Olympus Shipyard? The Suna have the first ton of each ready for us. Then I could start making the REAL interesting stuff!" Tenten inquired.

"I don't know how long we'll be at Geniya while Kakashi makes up his mind and, if he agrees, sells off his practice. Might be best to have them sent here," Naruto figured.

"My people will send their fastest courier to deliver them," Gaara assured, taking a brief moment to dip into the Suna sub-plane and give the order.

"While we're here, can we get some Oto cookbooks and ingredients? No offense to your cooking, Naruto, but it tastes like home," Fu requested hopefully.

"Sure, honey," Naruto grinned at his Nymph.

Hana leaned back in her chair, stuffed from eating every bite. "We're lucky our bodies are frozen, because we really feasted today," she mused.

"We might be here a few days. We won't be eating out for all of them," Naruto comforted. "Any plans?"

"I finished off the first four maintenance bots for Shikamaru today. Next I'm working on Hana's Tactical Chair and Fu's piloting station. Then I figured, since we're going to the Iwa after all this is done, that I'd make the Inertial Dampening Device for when we acquire their engines or I build Uzu equivalents with the elements shipment. After that, I'll just start making Quantum weapons. We'll be able to blast our way through anything that gets in our way!" Tenten said excitedly.

"I'm about to finish up on that side project. I can give a report any time you want," Sasuke offered.

"I figured I'd do some research on other animal forms, get some variety besides the Tiger," Fu mused.

"I've gotten as far as I can with the Dragon March data. I figured I'll teach Gaara and Sakura how to spar," Hana said with a shrug.

The two newest Pack members looked at each other before shrugging. "Guess that's our plans made," Gaara said.

"I'll try really hard not to see self-defense as violating 'first do no harm'," Sakura quipped.

"You already know how to shoot, what's the difference?" Hinata asked rhetorically. "As for me, I'll work on my powers. If Karin has them, we might be having our first real psychic warfare."

Naruto nodded. They put away the dishes and they all enjoyed a drink after dinner to unwind.

"Naruto? How are we going to handle my family? They'll notice that I'm not aging eventually," Hana asked, a bit worried but too mellow to get really worked up.

"Illusions," Naruto said simply. "Put on a mask every time we go visit or talk to them. Can't have the kids not having a relationship with Grandpa Jack and Grandma Tsume."

They all got doe-eyed at the idea of children. Fu especially, as Naruto had promised they'd single-handedly repopulate the Taki. Naruto was about to take advantage of their broodiness when his wrist communicator went off.

"The call is originating from Kakashi's offices in Geniya," Shikamaru told him helpfully.

Naruto accepted the call and a holo-image of Kakashi appeared, naturally still in his armor. "Hello my friend! Something has come up that I'd love to speak to you about, but it's best not to talk to you about it over an open comm channel."

Naruto sat up. "Anything to do with our proposal from this morning?"

"No, no, this is a separate matter."

"Okay," Naruto said, intrigued. "Do you want to come to the Invictus, or would you rather we come to your offices?"

"I'd prefer if just you came to see me. It would be best if you came to visit me at my offices. I'd be delighted to offer you my hospitality once again, and it's only fair, as I'm dragging you away from your lovely companions."

Naruto narrowed his eyes. Something about this was off. "Could you hold one second? I have another call."

Kakashi seemed to bristle, but nodded. "Very well. Please don't be long."

The second Naruto muted the call, Shikamaru was speaking. "Thank Turing you hung up. That's not Kakashi. The image is computer-generated and the voice is synthesized. Whoever's really calling you is a master at coding and programming," Shikamaru said in a rush.

"Karin," the Pack said in unison.

Naruto nodded and opened the call again. "Karin, if you wanted to talk to me, you could have just asked," he told 'Kakashi'.

The image froze. And then the image was replaced by a different armored Oto. "You are as capable as I suspected, Uzumaki Naruto. Very well. Do you consent to an audience with me?" She asked in a haughty, surprisingly girlish voice.

Naruto smiled apologetically, but his eyes were sharp. "After this attempt at deception, I'm afraid I need a good faith gesture from you. You meet us on my ship, or we don't meet."

She visibly angered, even behind her armor, but she eventually bowed. "Very well. I shall be there presently." With that, she cut off the comm channel.

"Please don't let her be the 'hot hacker' you had a premonition about. I barely know her and I can tell she's an absolute bitch!" Tenten begged.

"She is capable though. If we didn't have Shikamaru we'd have been totally fooled," Sasuke mused.

"And it's not like the personality changes wouldn't clear out all that toxic emotion," Hinata argued.

Naruto stood up. "I'll meet her at the airlock. Everyone report to the Briefing Room. Whatever she wants to talk about, I'm betting it involves our crew."

They all nodded, and gave him a kiss for good luck before making for the anti-grav tube. While they took the blue, he took the red. Naruto stepped out and waited.

"Karin incoming," Shikamaru warned him.

"Thanks, buddy. Now hide. I want you as our secret weapon. Watch her like a hawk and catch any hacking attempts," Naruto instructed.

"She won't make things troublesome," Shikamaru promised before going silent as the airlock opened.

Karin was there, in her resplendent armor that outvalued even Kakashi's. She seemed to pause when she saw him waiting for her. "Good evening, Uzumaki Naruto," she said respectfully, and Naruto's internal lie detector knew it was totally false. "You have an… impressive vessel."

"Thank you, we worked hard on her. Now follow me. You'll be addressing me and my crew. You lost your chance at a one-on-one audience with your impressive if morally reprehensible hacking," Naruto said in an even tone.

"Very well," she said through gritted teeth before recovering her false courtesy. "Please, lead the way."

Naruto led her to the anti-grav tubes, which she seemed grudgingly impressed by. Naruto took the chance to use X-Ray Vision on her. She had a Thrall's body, with a face that had a strong resemblance to Orochimaru and black hair shorter than Kakashi's. Naruto walked into the blue tube and stepped out on the Command Deck. Karin looked around as he led her to the side door and into the Briefing Room. His crew were seated at their usual places, and turned as one to regard her.

*Gaara, do a deep dive while we're talking. Sakura, use X-Ray Vision to work out any injuries or chronic conditions she has; we might need all the leverage we can get,* Naruto mentally instructed.

Naruto pulled out the chair at the foot of the table for Karin, who graciously took it. Naruto walked around the head of the table and sat down in his traditional seat. "Okay, Karin. You wanted to meet. We've met. What do you have to say?"

Karin nodded and paused for a moment before speaking, "I have a powerful contact in the Noble House that controls the primary Oto shipyards. If you accompany me to my homeworld, I would be willing to facilitate a meeting with that contact, and assist you in arranging the purchase of Oto Laser weaponry for your ship."

Naruto frowned and said, "Kakashi told us that selling Oto weaponry to non-Oto was a capital crime amongst your people. How would your contact be able to sell us these weapons?"

Karin crossed her arms over her chest, then leaned back against the desk confidently as she replied, "Because my contact rules her Noble House, and could make an exception."

"How do you know you can trust this contact?" Hinata asked her curiously.

Karin turned to look at the bluenette girl, and seemed to bristle with irritation for a moment before she replied curtly, "Because she's my mother."

Naruto looked to his crew and then turned to the Oto who was sitting impassively before them, and asked, "Why would you do this for us? We've never even met before."

Karin paused for a second and then replied tentatively, "Well, I'd get a great commission out of it."

Naruto raised an eyebrow doubtfully, not believing the obvious lie for a moment. "I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I just don't believe you. If trading Oto weaponry is so severely restricted, I can't believe you'd go to all this effort for a bit of cash," he said regretfully.

Karin tensed and seemed to be staring at them angrily, for a very long protracted moment, before she blurted out, "Fine! I'll tell you the real reason."

With an exasperated sigh, she reached up her hands to her golden helmeted head, and activated something on her helmet. There was a hiss as the pressure seals were uncoupled, and as the crew looked on in amazement, the Oto lifted the helmet from her head.

"Because I know exactly what you are... 'Uzu'," Karin purred, with a calculating smile on her exquisitely beautiful blue-skinned face.

Gaara came back to himself. *She knows nothing. Her twin sister was an archaeologist who was studying Orochimaru. When their mother started paying more attention to Tayuya, Karin framed her sister for treason to get her out of the way. All she knows is that you're psychic, and nowhere near to what degree. She thinks her mother, a mid-tier Telekinetic, could best you.*

Sakura finished her analysis. *She has a stage 3 inoperable brain tumor. Might explain the mood swings.*

Naruto absorbed the information and raised a brow, unaffected by Karin's shocking gesture.

"I see recognition in your eyes, 'Uzu'. You know me and my people," Karin purred.

"Yes, I've seen your species before. Why do you keep calling me 'Uzu' like that?" Naruto asked.

"Because that is the name the Suna have designated for your species," Karin said as if she were speaking to an idiot, glancing at Gaara in curiosity.

"No, I meant, why do you say it with such disdain?" Naruto clarified.

Karin tilted her head. "Would you prefer I called you Orochimaru?"

Naruto got a feral grin on his face. "First mistake, Orochimaru died 10,000 years ago. You should have listened to Tayuya's history lessons more attentively."

Karin's violet eyes widened like they were going to pop out. "How?" She asked breathlessly.

"Second mistake: you forgot I'm psychic," Naruto said, deciding to conceal his Pack's abilities. "I know you better than you know yourself by now."

Karin had a look of real fear on her face.

"Third mistake, if you knew anything about the Uzu, you'd know we have weapons that make Oto tech look like toys. Why would I be interested in your deal, other than seeing what watered-down versions Orochimaru gave you?" Naruto asked implacably.

Karin seemed in the midst of a panic attack as her carefully crafted plan fell to pieces. As Naruto watched her, he began to feel guilty for her. And, in a flash, he came up with a plan. A crazy, audacious plan that might save the Oto from extinction.

*You. Are. Insane,* Sasuke thought in no uncertain terms.

*This is so YOU, fixing Orchimaru's mistakes,* Hinata sighed helplessly.

*I'll keep us safe if we end up attacked in Oto territory,* Hana swore.

*So I'm getting my Oto tech schematics after all?* Tenten wondered.

*I find this plan very sexy, Naruto. I can't wait to feed hundreds of little kittens,* Fu purred.

*I should learn to stop being surprised by you, Naruto,* Gaara mused.

*Even if you convert just a few thousand, that might be enough to save the species,* Sakura calculated.

Naruto turned back to Karin. "Fortunately for you, my Chief Engineer was curious about your tech. And whatever deal we have to make to earn it will be easily within our means. So, yes, we will agree to meet your mother. We have business to settle with Kakashi first, and then we'll go with you."

Karin managed to regain a facsimile of her composure. She gave a grin that was short a few teeth this time "Very well. Please settle your business within three days. I must arrange safe passage for your ship. We wouldn't want any accidents to befall you in Oto space, after all," she said neutrally.

Naruto escorted her down the anti-grav tube and out the airlock. As soon as she was gone, Shikamaru burst from the seams. "Are you crazy? The odds of her betraying you and you getting ambushed in Oto space are in the 90's! Why in the world would you agree to this when we already have superior weapons?"

Naruto sighed. "I'll explain it to the crew. They're in the Lounge, right?"

"Going straight for the hard stuff. Straight vodka rocks for the girls, tequila and malt liquor for Sasuke and Gaara," Shikamaru reported.

Naruto winced. "Ouch. Guess I better get up there."

Naruto took the anti-grav tube to Deck 2 and went into the Lounge. He found a rum and ginger ale already waiting for him on the bar. Naruto took it and drank half in one gulp, and went to sit on the sofa beside his silent crew. "How much trouble am I in?"

"If I were physically capable of countenancing the thought, I'd have suggested mutiny," Sasuke said flatly.

"Oh, stop. Really, it's not THAT bad a plan," Hinata countered.

"What is the plan? I don't have access to your telepathy, remember?" Shikamaru pleaded.

Naruto sighed. "That I conquer the Oto."


	38. Chapter 38

Shikamaru's face appeared over Naruto's wrist with an incredulous expression. "I'm sorry, my auditory routine must have glitched. I thought you said you're going to conquer the Oto."

"No, no, you heard right," Tenten assured her creation.

"And you're going to attempt this insanity because…?" Shikamaru asked leadingly.

Naruto sighed. "Look, I know it's a crazy plan. But I need energy if I'm going to combat this rival Uzu, and I'll need substantial allies. Enthralling Karin and her mother just makes good sense. And from there, I can enthrall all the Oto under their command. And every female Oto I enthrall, that's more energy for us. More importantly, I'll be able to fix the genetic tampering Orochimaru did to them. I could fix the birth ratio, give the Oto a chance to repopulate. And once I have House Guren under my command, might as well go for the other Noble Houses. In short, I pull an Orochimaru, but with good intentions."

Shikamaru turned to Sasuke. "Sasuke, I agree with your sentiments of mutiny."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "I wasn't really being serious. I just can't really wrap my head around the Marine I used to know ending up King of the Oto by face-fucking thousands of women."

"It does sound more ridiculous than crazy when you put it like that," Hinata mused, sipping on her vodka rocks.

"Have you considered how long this could take? It could take years, even with Fu's tentacles, to get a significant portion of the population as Thralls," Sakura pointed out. "You promised to help me with my mom's killers and to pick up Lee on our way to Iwa space. I didn't realize that would take months rather than weeks."

Naruto grinned at his Medical Officer. "Remember how I had a 'feeling' we'd get a hot hacker? Well, I have a feeling that this deal with Anko will involve us going towards Iwa anyway. Besides, I never said I would enact my plan immediately. For now, let's just focus on Karin and Anko. The rest of House Guren can take its sweet time. This is a long-term plan, not our prioritized goal."

Shikamaru sighed. "Well, I'm the Ship Assistant. I'll assist. But I find this to be very troublesome. By the way, there's an Oto approaching the airlock."

Naruto tilted his head and set down his drink. He took the anti-grav tube down to Deck 9 and heard it when the 'doorbell' was rung on the airlock. Naruto hit the DNA scanner and the outer airlock opened, revealing an agitated Kakashi, looking fervently around the Docking Bay.

Naruto smiled at the man, and said, "Hey Kakashi, It's good to see you. Come on in."

The Oto nodded, and stepped through the airlock. He seemed so unsettled, that he didn't even have any witty or cheerful greeting for Naruto as he did. Naruto closed the airlock door after him, and Kakashi turned and watched it spiral shut in silence. The moment it was sealed tight, he turned to Naruto and spoke animatedly.

"You can't trust anything Karin says!" he blurted out, sounding deeply worried.

Naruto smiled at the troubled Oto and reached out, placing his hand on the smaller man's shoulder reassuringly. "Let's go and have a drink, then we can talk about it," he suggested amiably, trying to put his friend at ease.

Kakashi nodded vigorously, and followed Naruto over to the grav-tubes. Naruto gave him a brief explanation of how they worked, and then stepped inside to demonstrate, rising smoothly in the soft blue glow. The Oto followed his lead, and they eventually stepped out onto Deck 2.

"That's a marvellous replacement for elevators," Kakashi said, sounding impressed, and momentarily distracted from his concerns. "All that waiting is so tiresome!"

Naruto chuckled. "Tenten's idea. Just one of her many genius inventions," he said, leading Kakashi to the Officer's Lounge. Kakashi waved distractedly at the rest of the crew. Naruto poured him a glass of gin as he knew the smaller man preferred. He handed it to Kakashi and led him to an open chair that wasn't occupied by the Pack. Kakashi reached for a straw-like attachment for his helmet before pausing.

"Oh, fuck it," he growled, before reaching up and removing it like Karin had. The Oto merchant shared the same slightly angular eyes as Karin, but his were a rich black instead. He also had short, dark hair, and Naruto could clearly see the tips of the man's pointed ears. Kakshi smiled at him, watching the crew as they studied him intently.

"Now I've committed treason. If any Oto finds out I did this, I'll be flayed publically before being put to death," Kakashi said resolutely.

Hana wrinkled her nose, having been raised with K-Fed disciplinary measures that strictly prohibited corporal punishment. "That's barbaric."

"That's Oto society, at least the women. Sadistic, poisonous snakes, the lot of them. And there's none worse than House Guren. It's how they've maintained their crown as the largest Noble House," Kakashi explained. "Which is why you must not trust a word that came out Karin's mouth!"

Naruto laid a hand on his friend's. "What do you know about what she came to talk to us about?"

"She came back and demanded I reveal what business I had with you. She wound up rambling about the Uzu and how you were nothing like she expected. She even mentioned she revealed herself to you and you didn't blink. What did you do to rattle her like that?" Kakashi asked, confused and amazed in equal measure.

"She tried to bluff us with a pair of twos and we showed her our royal flush, in poker terms," Naruto told Kakashi. "She thought she could tempt us with Oto Laser tech and knowledge about the Uzu, not realizing we knew far more than she did and we already have better weapons than the Oto."

Kakashi blinked. "I find that hard to believe. I've witnessed a Nova Lance being fired."

"What I forgot to mention before lunch was the Uzu have vastly superior technology to the Galactic League encoded in our DNA. Tenten's reverse-engineered the best we can get with the materials we have, which is slightly better than Oto equivalents. And we're expecting a shipment of necessary components for even better tech from the Suna to arrive in the next couple days," Naruto explained. "Besides, even if it came to a fight, our armor is 100% reflective. Lasers bounce right off the Invictus. Unless Oto have kinetics as a back-up, we have nothing to fear from the Oto."

Kakashi gaped and took a big swig of his gin. "Every word out your mouth today strains credulity, my friend," he said. "But even if your ship is immune to laser fire, you certainly are not!"

Naruto coated himself in Psychic Shields and summoned Psychic Fire to his hand. "You sure about that?" he asked casually.

Kakashi's jaw dropped. "I… I… I might have worried for no reason. Karin seems no threat to you."

Naruto dispelled the psychic powers and grinned. "You know, if you join us, we'll be following her to a meeting with her mother. What can you tell me about Anko?"

Kakashi shivered. "I can tell you there is literally nothing you could offer me that would get me in a room with that woman. She is queen of the harshest nest of vipers to be found in the Oto Regency. She can lie so well she can have you believing the sun is a different color. And she's rumored to be from one of the Eldritch Bloodlines," Kakashi said with reverent fear.

"She is. The nobility of House Guren are direct descendents of Orochimaru and his Matriarch Guren, whom he gifted psychic powers. A skill that has stayed strong through their bloodline. Karin's grandmother was pyrokinetic, while her mother is a Telekinetic of moderate ability," Gaara spoke up.

Kakashi gaped at the Grey. "From what I've heard of her powers, I'm not sure 'moderate' is the right word."

"Compared to us, she is," Naruto said before lifting all the furniture with them still on it.

Kakashi gulped, looking down at the floor. "Okay, you've proved your point. Please let me down," he begged.

"Sure," Naruto said. "I hope you've given our offer some consideration."

Kakashi gulped. "I've thought of little else all day. And after the revelations tonight, I'm heavily leaning towards joining you. Just answer me this: why go with Karin to meet Anko if you don't need Oto Lasers?"

Naruto sighed and explained his plans to conquer the Oto for their own good, to fix the birth ratio and end the power games, the backstabbing, the endless political infighting. And, at the same time, getting an army out of the deal. Kakashi looked at him like he'd grown a third eye before gulping down the rest of his gin. "You, sir, are mad. Brilliant, but mad all the same."

"It's remarkable how often those two traits coincide," Naruto said lightly, quoting an old pirate movie. "Phase 1 is just following Karin to meet up with Anko and see how things develop."

"... Okay. I'm convinced. You're immortal, psychic, and have superior tech. And you all are the happiest people I've ever met. I want to join you," Kakashi said after a long silence.

Naruto perked up. "Really? You're sure?"

"Yes, I am. At least I think I am. Just start the process before I can change my mind," Kakashi said, his face somehow both anxious and resigned.

Naruto winced. "Yeah, about that… there's one detail I left out when I was explaining things to you. The way for me to adopt a person as an Uzu is to… drink my cum."

Kakashi looked at him flatly, before turning to the rest of the Pack. "Is he serious?" he asked them as if he already expected the answer.

"It's true. Uzu semen is a psychic catalyst that causes DNA modification. We all spent about a week getting three or more doses a day," Sakura said with a helpless shrug.

"Like you, I was straight when I started out. To compromise, he let me suck a creampie out of Hinata," Sasuke said, mellowed out after a few tequila shots.

Kakashi's eyes widened, and he looked at the girls speculatively. "That sounds like a wonderful alternative. But with nothing but men on Geniya, we Oto have learned to… adapt. Like in Konoha prisons, according to your pop culture."

Naruto finished his drink. "It's up to you, Kakashi. I don't care how you get your first dose, it's your choice. Pick one of the girls to eat out and I'll fill her up, or I can drop trou and you can blow me right here. In either case, you should know there's a narcotic in my precum that'll knock you out for the next 14 hours. So you might want to clear your schedule tomorrow before we start."

Kakashi nodded and activated a computer in the left vambrace of his armor. He made a few commands before nodding, his face resolute. "There. I'm free for the whole day tomorrow. Karin might come looking for me, but you seem capable of handling her. So, Naruto, after 9 years in business we finally get to third base," he said, too nervous to come across as a joke.

Naruto grinned reassuringly. "You might want to get out of your armor first. I cum in pints, it's a quirk of my species. Your belly is going to round out, and that breastplate doesn't seem to have much give."

Kakashi nodded hesitantly, and then stood up. He hit a few more buttons on his armor and the pieces detached, for him to carefully place on the floor. He was wearing a skintight bodysuit underneath much like Naruto had loaned to Hinata back on the Fool's Gold. It highlighted the cat-like leanness of his build, with decidedly less muscle than the Beta build, and a respectable shower or a very respectable grower cock. Kakashi reached behind his back with impressive flexibility and pulled down the zipper, stepping out of the suit and revealing acres upon acres of sky-blue flesh. He still had pink fingernails and toenails like a Konoha or Uzu, and he either shaved or was naturally hairless as a Thrall.

The crew all clapped appreciatively, causing Kakashi to blush indigo. "Time for me to join the family?" he asked.

Naruto stood up and took the smaller man into his arms. He nuzzled into Kakashi's neck before seeking out his lips for a kiss. Kakashi responded with good technique if little enthusiasm. He truly was straight and just had sex with men out of lack of options. Naruto pulled back and gently led Kakashi back to his seat. Naruto sat down first, and then guided the Oto merchant down to his knees.

"I warn you, I'm big. Like, surprisingly big. Just remember, you won't remember the first two times," Naruto cautioned.

Kakashi set his shoulders. "You promised me a family. This is the way to get it. Let's get this show on the road."

Naruto nodded, and then pulled down his shorts.

Kakashi blinked. "Huh. You're even bigger than Jirobo, the most popular stud on this station." With no more than that comment, Kakashi leaned forward and, before he could second-guess himself, wrapped his mouth around the head. His eyes went glassy as Naruto's precum went to work.

The crew watched as Kakashi mindlessly suckled, eventually making down to the root and Naruto's quad. Sakura was fascinated. "So that's what we look like under the influence. Gaara, how did it even fit in you? Naruto practically reached down your esophagus to your stomach if you were the dimensions of your average Suna."

"Doesn't matter, the point is it did. And I got bigger," Gaara said nonchalantly.

"I'll be the only one immune to these effects the first time I blow Naruto. Androids are immune to drugs!" Shikamaru inserted.

Naruto grinned. "So you 'want' to blow me? That's a boost for my ego. I'm so sexy even an AI lusts after me," he said around the pleasurable feeling of Kakashi deepthroating him.

"Well, if Tenten is my mother, you're good as my father, so it's an incestuous desire. That turn you off?" Shikamaru asked.

"I'm the one planning to enthrall a mother-daughter pair, and I love when Fu and Hinata act out twins. Plus, with the control I have over DNA and my cum, I could probably knock up my own sister and there'd be no genetic risk. So incest is allowed, I suppose, on this crew," Naruto said before groaning. He soon unloaded down Kakashi's throat, making his stomach round out like he was a pregnant woman.

Naruto lifted Kakashi easily and led him and the Pack back to the Commodore's Quarters. They placed him gently in the center of the bed, then grabbed a quick shower. Even after Psychic Healing to restore himself and cure his buzz, Naruto simply wasn't in the mood and neither was the Pack. They all piled around Kakashi and settled in a mass of warm bodies on the extra-large bed.

Wolves of Uzu

Karin paced around her room. She had been sure that Naruto was going to turn her down, especially after that comment about having superior technology. She'd think he was bluffing, if he hadn't plucked the name of her idiot twin sister out of her mind. She took a deep breath and composed herself, before quickly opening up the comm interface to inform her mother of the good news.

The channel connected and the familiar icon of House Guren filled the screen. A few seconds later the stern face of Matriarch Guren Anko appeared, staring at her impassively.

"I did it mother! The Uzu has agreed to journey with me to meet with you!" she told her mother eagerly.

Anko's cold eyes studied her daughter for a long moment, before she said, "This had better not be a waste of my time Karin. The limits to my tolerance for incompetence are well known."

"I promise you I'm right, mother," Karin insisted urgently.

Anko's eyes narrowed, and she asked, "Have you tested him? Verified you're correct?"

Karin shuddered as she remembered the piercing eyes of that crew as their Commodore casually tore her bluff to shreds. "Yes, I'm very sure. If you require proof, I can take him to the killing grounds and-"

"No," Anko cut her off sharply. "If he is who you say he is, then have him eliminate the Zetsu."

Karin looked shocked, and blurted out, "But, I don't think tha-"

"Leave the thinking to me," Anko interrupted her, with a malignant, twisted smile. "That world is ripe for colonization, but I can't afford to waste the resources necessary to take it. Have your Orochimaru do it for me."

Karin was about to protest again, perhaps point out that Orochimaru was a name and not a title apparently, but thought better of it, so she bowed her head and nodded obediently. When she looked up at the viewscreen again, it crackled with static, the comm channel closed. She let out a troubled sigh as she slumped in her chair, and stared off into the distance.

Wolves of Uzu

Naruto woke up around 1000, exhausted by a long day yesterday. "Shikamaru, any calls or anything interesting?"

"Repeated calls from Karin, one every fifteen minutes since 0800," the AI replied faithfully.

Naruto frowned and turned to his wrist communicator. "Patch me through to her," he requested.

A holo-image of Karin's armored face appeared above Narutos' wrist. "Ah, Commodore Uzumaki. I beg your pardon, but have you seen Kakashi? He's been missing since last night, and I was wondering if you had seen him?" she asked in her most polite tone, either still cowed from last night or wanting something out of him.

"Kakashi came to visit us about our proposal. He wound up getting drunk and we put him in a room. He's safe and sound," Naruto said, technically not lying.

Karin nodded, but seemed just as tense. "I'm afraid there's been a change in plan."

Naruto raised a brow. "How so? And please be honest, I'll know if you lie to me."

Naruto could have sworn he heard her gulp. "My mother, as a good faith gesture on your part, requests that you aid in the extermination of a hostile species on one of the worlds under our command."

"You mean she wants proof that I'm a mighty Uzu like the legends make us out to be. And from what I hear of Anko, she's more the type to demand than request," Naruto noted astutely. He shrugged. "What's the species and world?"

"The Zetsu, on Quanthos. They're a hive-mind funganoid species that have killed every Oto that attempted to colonize the planet over the centuries," Karin reported honestly, as Naruto could sense.

"What's the plan? Shoot every single one? Because that could take a while," Naruto said humorously.

Karin shook her head. "The Zetsu are based in a cave system under a mountain chain that is rich in magnesium and other flammable elements. If I can get an incendiary device to the right spot, we can blow them all sky high."

"So we're to be your bodyguards while you escort this bomb to the weak point… sounds simple enough. Thank you for your honesty. If you'd have led me by the nose with something fake, I'd be much less inclined to help you," Naruto told her.

She seemed to shiver. "I believe you when you say you would have known. And I am not tempted to test your mercy. The pirates, Nuke, and Kusa all learned the hard way that you have none."

Naruto let that statement go because it was an opinion and not a fact. "Our business here at Geniya should be concluded within two days. Let's make plans to set out by 1200 Konoha Standard Time three days from now. Is that acceptable to you?"

"Yes, it'll take me a couple days to acquire the incendiary device anyway. Thank you for your agreement to my mother's terms, Naruto!" Karin said happily.

Naruto shrugged. "Well, I figured if I said no, you'd suffer the consequences. And I hate to see pretty girls in pain."

Karin stood still before ending the call.

Naruto shrugged and turned to his crew, who'd been following the conversation in both sound and thought. "So, we're exterminators now," he said lightly.

"You're sure she didn't lie to you? Not once?" Sasuke pressed.

"I didn't get that mental alarm like with Koeman. She was being truthful," Naruto stated confidently.

"I remember the Zetsu from the deep dive. As she said, they're hostile fungoids on a very ripe planet for colonization," Gaara revealed, showing what you get when you review a lifetime of memories with your own photographic memory.

"Depending on how fast we get there, we might get a field test of Quantum Rifles!" Tenten said excitedly.

Naruto grinned at his industrious lover before turning to the rest. "What's everyone's plans for the next couple days? I'll be busy with Lee and Kakashi."

"Speaking of, you notice his new hairdo?" Hinata asked, looking down at the slumbering trader. His short hair, even his eyebrows and eyelashes, had turned the snow-white of Invictium.

Naruto reviewed the Astral Bond he'd gotten from the moment Kakashi swallowed the first spurt. "Sakura can figure it out by looking at his DNA. I think it looks good on him."

"A phenotype change to mark Thralldom? But why bother unless you programmed in certain responses to it? I'll need to check against a normal Oto male and female to be sure, but I think Orochimaru made it so the Oto were naturally more obedient to Thralls," Sakura postulated, her beyond genius IQ crunching the situation.

"Makes sense. That way they'd be less likely to revolt when Thralls came to kidnap the next batch of women," Hana mused.

Fu had a look of eager experimentation on her face. "I'm going to the Cargo Bay to practice my shapeshifting, Naruto! I'll try to turn into the really big and the really small, just for variety's sake. My ultimate goal is a Triceratops or Tyrannosaurus Rex!"

Sasuke blinked. "Since when can you turn into dinosaurs? Anyway, I finished up the report on your mom yesterday. We can review it whenever. After lunch? You've got a spar in 15 minutes, we'll have to rush breakfast."

"Still teaching my students how to throw a punch and kick," Hana reported dutifully, while Gaara and Sakura groaned.

"Again, powers training in the Gym," Hinata said simply.

"And I'll be putting together the components for an Uzu Tactical Chair and Pilot Chair with the help of Shikamaru and my handy-dandy robots," Tenten chirped.

"And I'll do what I normally do, watch digital clouds and devote a fraction of my processing to helping you guys out," Shikamaru snarked.

"Well, we're all agreed. Kakashi should wake up around 1400, since he blew me at midnight. We'll have the meeting about my mom at 1300 and then I'll come back to talk to him and give him the second dose. Ready, run out!"

For once, they had nothing but toast and eggs for breakfast, Naruto actually using Psychic Speed to cook everything while dressed in his training gear. Once he'd scarfed down his breakfast, he made for Deck 3 and the simulation room. Where he spent the next 90 minutes in a single spar that Lee managed to win by luck more than anything. The smug smile on his face told how vital that victory was to his confidence after his loss yesterday.

"Good match," Naruto bowed.

"Indeed," Lee said, soaked with sweat after over an hour of continuous heavy exertion. "You were right, I'm just that good a teacher. But you are the best student I ever trained."

"I'm the only student you ever trained," Naruto pointed out.

"Semantics." Lee walked over to the button on his end to cancel the simulation. "Same time tomorrow?"

"You're on!" Naruto said enthusiastically. That had been the greatest workout of his life.

To make up for the subpar breakfast, Naruto made handmade meatballs and spaghetti in his grandma's famous pasta sauce. Everyone raved about the juiciness of the meat and the richness of the tomato in the sauce. Then everyone filed up to the Briefing Room to hear the news about Uzumaki Kushina.

"Uzumaki Kushina was a Second Lieutenant assigned to the research vessel Cora in 2737," Sasuke began, pulling up Kushina's dossier and an image of the ship. "They set out into the area past Karron towards the rim. This was before the Nuke expanded into that territory and they didn't know the risk. Inside of three months, they found a Eden-class planet in a dense nebula that they named Arcadia."

Sasuke clicked the remote and an image of a beautiful green world full of forests and mountains and lakes. "The Cora landed on the equator and the researchers began to make brief sorties away from the landing site. A couple months in, Kushina went out one day and disappeared. The crew looked for her, but eventually declared her missing-in-action. Over a year later, they went further afield and found Kushina sitting by a lake, heavily pregnant with you. She resisted capture heavily, screaming about how she had to return to her 'master'. And a few clicks away, they found this," Sasuke said before hitting the remote again.

Naruto and the Pack stared at the image of a crashed Uzu vessel set in a plain between two mountains. Naruto gulped as he looked upon his father's ship. "Well, it's in better shape than the Legacy, but that ain't flying anytime soon."

"It's been forty years, though. And if he isn't dead, your father's got nothing but time to repair it," Hinata pointed out.

"You know the rest of the story, Naruto. They heavily sedated your mother and dragged her back to Olympus Shipyard. She had you, and then as soon as she recovered, sooner than a typical Konoha woman I might add, she caused the explosion that killed the Cora's crew and stole a ship to return to Arcadia," Sasuke said solemnly.

Naruto worked his jaw muscles for a moment. "Well, now we know where to find them when we have the time to deal with them," he said before standing up. "I need a drink, and then I'm going to talk to Kakashi. Everyone return to your normal tasks," he ordered faintly before leaving the Briefing Room.

Naruto went straight for the rum, and didn't even bother trying to cut it with ginger ale. He took two big burning gulps and then stopped, feeling the alcohol race down his throat to his stomach and then spread to his bloodstream. He took a final third gulp and then set the bottle back behind the bar, noticeably lower in contents.

He felt more than heard Hinata walk up behind him and hug him. Naruto sighed and let himself sink into the comfort of his Matriarch's embrace. "Why have a son? That's what I keep wondering. If he'd wanted more Thralls, I would have been a girl. Instead he 'chose' to have an Uzu son with her. Why? Was her getting captured part of a plan? Did he plan for me to be born in Konoha space and, what, eventually find and rescue him when I formed my empire? Did he love her like Orochimaru loved Guren or was she just the first female to come along? So many questions," Naruto sighed, going to a chair and pulling Hinata into his lap like a teddy bear.

"I can't give you the answers. Only they can. And we're a bit busy and under-equipped to go charging into the heart of Nuke space," Hinata told him. "But once Tenten has the Invictus kicked out with Quantum weapons or we build our own Uzu vessel, we'll go to Arcadia and ask them ourselves. And if your dad turns out to be a typical Uzu, I'll pull the trigger myself so you won't have to," Hinata vowed.

Naruto grinned and gave her a kiss. "What would I do without you?"

"You'll never have to find out," she promised before returning his kiss.

They made out for a few minutes, before Shikamaru coughed. "Kakashi is beginning to stir. Time to get up and get him some water," the AI pointed out.

"Thanks, Shikamaru," Naruto said before letting Hinata lift off him and then standing himself. Well, at least he had an erection in case Kakashi wanted his second dose right away. They grabbed a glass and filled it with water before walking down the corridor to the Commodore's Quarters. They found Kakashi sitting up, the blankets and comforter gathered in his lap. Kakashi saw the glass of water and eagerly reached out his hand.

"Yeah, you're dehydrated. Your body's been doing some hard work, changing DNA, healing damage. Plus you had some alcohol before you went under," Naruto explained as he handed over the H20.

Kakashi drained the whole glass in three big gulps. He wiped his mouth and Hinata helpfully took the glass from him. "I feel 40 years younger. What did your seed do to me?"

"Like I said, you're going to get taller and stronger, and all your old injuries will just go away. You'll eventually end up looking like Gaara or Sasuke. That's my 'template' for my male lovers."

Kakashi nodded. "The stories of Orochimaru never mentioned him taking the men too."

"I'm the first bisexual Uzu that we know of. Lucky mutation, my dad deciding to experiment with my genes, who knows? The point is that I swing both ways, and have Thralls of both sexes."

Kakashi looked around the room. "These are very nice quarters, Naruto. I didn't expect this kind of luxury on an ex-Navy vessel."

"A gift from Sasuke when it was being retrofitted when I first bought it. We all enjoy it very much," Naruto said with a grin.

Kakashi looked at the chronometer and gaped. "It really was 14 hours!"

"Every word I told you was the truth," Naruto vowed. "And for the record, you might want to look in the mirror."

Hinata helpfully guided a Kakashi embarrassed about his nudity to the closet and the full-length mirror. He blinked and pulled a strand of his white hair down to his eyes. "This is different. Is this some way to distinguish me from normal Oto?"

"Sakura seems to think it will have an effect on Oto who see you. Perhaps make them more subservient and malleable. Of course, if you wear your armor, it won't work," Naruto explained.

Kakashi blinked. "I'll keep that in mind. So, what now? Do I get a second dose and wake up tomorrow? Because I'll need at least 24 hours to sell off all my assets and cut ties to Geniya."

"The second dose only knocks you out for 4 hours. You could have it now, wake up in time for dinner, and stay the night and return to your offices tomorrow. I mean, think about it, are you really looking forward to Karin confronting you on what you were doing on our ship?" Naruto asked.

Kakashi paled to cyan. "On second thought, I could just liquify what I can, transfer it all to your account, and just vanish never to be seen again. I can do all that from the computer in my armor."

Hinata chuckled. "You're really scared of her, aren't you?"

"She has eyes and ears everywhere. Anything that can be accessed digitally is hers to play with. She could be watching us right now," Kakashi said solemnly.

Naruto grinned. "Not with our firewalls. They're alive, for one thing. Shikamaru?"

"Introducing me to the new kid?" the AI asked as Kakashi looked up curious.

"Very impressive Virtual Intelligence," Kakashi complimented. "But it won't keep out Karin."

"I'm an ACTUAL intelligence, blue boy. I think, therefore I am. Name's Shikamaru, and I bet I could handle money better than you could," Shikamaru challenged.

Kakashi whipped his head to Naruto. "You made an AI?! Are you insane?"

"Possibly," Naruto admitted. "He's perfectly friendly so far, and it's been almost a month since we turned him on."

Kakashi hung his head. "Superior tech, I know. Well, I guess I'll just have to get used to it."

"Him, not it," Naruto corrected.

Kakashi sighed and kneeled before Naruto. "Let's just knock me out until dinner, shall we?"

Naruto complied and whipped out his cock. Kakashi's eyes lit up with genuine interest, the change to his Kinsey score already done, and he eagerly sucked on the head. His eyes went blank and he mindlessly worked his mouth on Naruto's knob until the Uzu's quad unleashed their contents. Naruto and Hinata tucked Kakashi back into bed and then went down to the Gym for a psychic spar.

Wolves of Uzu

"So, you were sloppy enough to give the game away," Pein snorted, shaking his head in disbelief.

The disused processing plant was gloomy and unlit, with only a few shards of light from the holes in the ceiling overhead providing any illumination. The assassin had finished carefully cleaning his tools, and they were spotless, gleaming brightly once more. As he examined each razor sharp, or wickedly barbed implement in turn, he slotted them back into the slots in the black velvet roll of cloth, which was spread out on the grubby table. When they were all back in their place, he flipped over the velvet top, and then carefully rolled up the cloth, before tucking it under his arm.

"Your story is so absurd, I'm inclined to believe you, Mr Koeman," he said, addressing the man in restraints, who was slumped in a chair.

Koeman Peter remained silent, as a dark red pool began to spread out across the dusty floor beneath his feet.

The man in black turned to look at him one last time, and shook his head. "If you hadn't tried to run, it might not have taken you so long to convince me you were telling me the truth," he lamented, before his mouth twisted up in an evil grin. "Still, you'll be a valuable lesson to the others," he added with satisfaction.

The brooding figure strode away purposefully, without a second glance in Mr Koeman's direction, a new course of action already in mind. After his many years in this line of business, he had learned that you just needed to prepare a trap with the right kind of bait.


	39. Chapter 39

The crew gathered for dinner, Naruto leading a slightly gravid Kakashi to his assigned seat next to Gaara. "You don't have to eat if you don't want to, but the option is there if you want it," Naruto said to his long-time friend and newest lover with a grin.

Kakashi tried to ignore the fact he was in his birthday suit after over a century of conditioning to always wear armor around aliens. "Thank you. Who's the cook on the crew?"

The Pack all snorted. "Naruto let's us assist from time to time, but he rules the kitchen," Hinata told Kakashi.

Kakashi turned a speculative eye on Naruto. "A Commodore who cooks for his crew? Good. A leader should take time to serve as much as lead," the trader mused wisely.

"Plus he was raised in a restaurant and he loves it," Sasuke said.

Naruto brought out the plates, using Telekinesis for the ones not in his hands. "Chicken and biscuits slathered in gravy, sides of succotash and mashed potatoes. Enjoy, family!"

Kakashi managed to push past the stuffed silly feeling in his stomach to take a bite. His eyes widened in shock. "What were you doing working as a trader? You could get into any restaurant you wanted with skills like this!"

"I didn't go to a fancy culinary school, my applications all got denied. Plus, I just wanted to wander the universe, trading was an excuse to go places. Then I got a tip about Tyrenium, met Hinata, and the rest as they say is history."

Kakashi leaned forward. "This I got to hear."

The Pack smiled and began to give a very condensed tale of their adventures from the moment Hinata had snuck onboard the Fool's Gold. Kakashi gaped as he heard their tales of going up against the pirates, Nuke, Kusa, and their decisive victory against the Kumo. They also gave lurid rememberings of particularly spectacular sexual encounters, making Kakashi blush and his dick harden. They talked so long that Kakashi's stomach went down to its normal six-pack.

The crew finished their odyssey with their arrival at Geniya Station, and then put away their plates, which they'd all managed to clean in between talking. Kakashi felt bad when his own plate was still practically full, but Naruto reassured him it was fine. Kakashi was offered a glass of straight gin and they all gathered around on the couches. Naruto opened an arm and welcomed Kakashi into his side, his own glass of sake in hand.

Kakashi looked out the window at the rather unimpressive view of the inside of Docking Bay 24. Still, it felt nice to just sit around and have a drink and soak up the camaraderie of the crew.

*It's nice, isn't it?* Naruto's voice rang clear in Kakashi's head.

Kakashi startled. "Warn me before you do that," Kakashi grumbled.

*Sorry. We just usually talk with our minds rather than our mouths, except when a member of the Pack hasn't joined the Pack mind yet.*

*Pack mind?*

*You and I have an Astral Bond, due to you drinking my cum. You can form an Astral Bond with every other member of the crew once you get to know them well enough and reach a certain threshold of trust. Sakura's about ready to join, maybe we'll spend tomorrow doing that,* Naruto mused.

Kakashi shook his head. "You all failed to mention you're a hive-mind," he pointed out.

"Group mind, very different. It's not like Naruto is the King and we're mindless drones. It's more that our minds are all wrapped up in one big group hug. We hear and feel everything everyone else is feeling. And it's beautiful," Hinata argued.

Kakashi shuddered. "And you want to introduce Karin and Anko into the group? They'll poison it."

"You know that I can change personalities when someone drinks my cum. You're already glancing at me, Sasuke, and Gaara as much as the girls," Naruto observed. "Give me a week and I'll have them as sweet little kittens. I don't tolerate toxic people on my crew."

"So what's the plan? Make Karin our Intelligence Officer and Anko another Matriarch for all the Oto Thralls?" Sasuke asked, a little less harshly than he would have yesterday. He was starting to come around.

"Pretty much. That's if they agree, of course. I'll be aggressive in negotiating, but you know my rule. They have to consent," Naruto insisted.

Kakashi snorted. "Good luck with that," he said disbelievingly. "Those two would rather die than submit to male authority."

"Depends on the carrot we offer them and how," Naruto said confidently.

"Speaking of long stalks you eat, I believe it's time for my third dose," Kakashi said, slipping to the floor and turning to reach for Naruto's pants.

"You sure? You'll remember it this time. This might not be your first blowjob, but it's the first on an Uzu," Naruto cautioned, even as his cock stood up at attention.

"I've done a lot of 69's on cold, lonely nights with other lonely men. Now that I'm actually bisexual, I might actually enjoy it!" Kakashi said brightly.

"Plus, the Astral Bond means you feel what he feels, so you're fellating yourself at the same time," Gaara pointed out.

Kakashi rose a brow before smiling wide. "In that case, let's get the show on the road!" With that, the Oto took Naruto's cock into his mouth. He went deep as he could, and discovered that was suddenly a lot deeper than he was used to. His throat opened up eagerly to accept that rod of male flesh, allowing Kakashi to sink down on Naruto to his four balls. At the same time, Kakashi felt a warm wetness envelop his own cock down to the root, yet when he touched his erection he felt nothing but air and skin.

Kakashi shrugged and proceeded to put his oral talents to good use, blowing Naruto with the ease of one who's engaged in gay sex for decades. Naruto leaned back his head and groaned, putting a hand on Kakashi's head to steady himself and guide the man. In a matter of minutes, Naruto was unloading down Kakashi's throat, letting out a roar of pleasure. His crew had all been masturbating to the show and released simultaneously, leaving a mess for the cleaning robots to handle.

Kakashi drew back until Naruto's Alpha cock was out of his mouth. He looked down and saw that it looked like he'd swallowed a beach ball. He rubbed the solid warmth contently, wondering if this is how pregnant women felt.

Naruto drew Kakashi back up to his feet and gave him a kiss on the lips. "Good man. Now, we usually take a long shower or bath after dinner."

"And then we have an orgy, unless we're breaking in a new Pack member, then all loads are saved for them," Tenten added helpfully.

"A shower sounds nice, and then an early night," Kakashi mused. "I'm selling off my life savings tomorrow, that will need a full night of sleep."

They made for the shower, and Kakashi learned what it was like to have eight other people wash and worship you. Fu, ever eager to serve, ducked down and gave him a blowjob while Naruto massaged his back with strong, firm hands and the others cradled his bump. They got dried and piled into the bed, Kakashi taking Sasuke's usual place at Naruto's left side, and they all passed into the realm of dreams after their near-automatic warding.

The next day passed busily. After getting his morning meal from Naruto, Kakashi took the Holo-reader, logged it into the Geniya Station network, and began to auction off all his assets at discount rates that the other traders wouldn't be able to resist. It was painful, but at least he could comfort himself that he'd still be a billionaire at the end, thanks to Naruto's account. Sakura spent most of the morning and part of the afternoon bonding with one member of the Pack after another. At the end, she was a member of the Pack mind through and through, her world opened up to their group experience. Tenten and the maintenance robots were busy on the Bridge, uninstalling the current Tactical and Pilot Chairs and replacing them with the massively upgraded Uzu equivalents. Hana kept up her lessons with Gaara and Sakura around the latter's hour-long bondings. Sasuke, having regained an interest in the sword, asked Naruto to teach him after his spar with Lee. After all, the best way to learn was to teach. And Hinata and Fu continued to work on their psychic powers.

At the end, they all gathered for a late dinner of Pork Tenderloin and had drinks afterward much like the night before. And as with the night before, Kakashi gave a blowjob to Naruto which was followed by a gentle shower and drying off for bed.

The day they were set to leave with Karin, Naruto woke and gave Kakashi his first load of the day. The orgasm waking everyone else in the Pack, they all got dressed after a quick shower and had a fast breakfast, Kakashi by now used to being nude onboard the Invictus.

"So, we don't have to leave with Karin until noon. The shipment of elements came in overnight according to Shikamaru, so we'll spend a few minutes loading those 19 crates. Then what do we do with our morning?" Naruto put to the floor.

"Field test!" Hana, Tenten, and Fu all cheered.

The others laughed at their eagerness to test the new upgrades to the Invictus, but they could all feel the same sense of excitement.

Hinata looked at Naruto, and said enthusiastically, "We're right near the border to Konoha space. Quick detour to go and murder some asteroids? There's a belt of them nearby, so it'll only take twenty minutes to get there."

"It does seem to have become a tradition," Naruto agreed with a grin. "Let's go and gallantly vanquish some hunks of rock!"

They all stood and strolled briskly out of the Officers' Lounge, then stepped into the grav-tube, so they could float up to the Command Deck. Everyone fanned out immediately to take their places on the Bridge, and Naruto couldn't help but grin at what a well-oiled machine his crew had become. The only odd ones out were Sakura and Kakashi, who technically didn't have stations on the Bridge. Luckily, Tenten thought ahead, and while she'd been upgrading the Chairs she'd added some normal ones around the edge of the room, enough to seat 16 people. Naruto could only shake his head, imagining his crew reaching that size.

When everyone was strapped in, Fu took them out of the Docking Bay. They wiggled and wobbled enough to make Naruto nauseous even with the artificial gravity. "Sorry, these new controls are really sensitive!" Fu called out apologetically.

"Should I decrease the sensitivity?" Shikamaru asked, naturally having control of all the software on the Invictus.

"No, just took an adjustment. I'm good now," Fu stated confidently, the Invictus regaining its usual smooth gait as they flew for the Nav Beacon. Hinata laid in their course and they rushed into hyperwarp.

Kakashi marveled at the maps as he tracked the Invictus's progress. "You're faster than the Suna! I didn't even think that was possible!"

"And we're only half the speed of a proper Uzu Tachyon Drive," Tenten said with a pout. "I definitely need to use the new elements to get to work on one of those. But the first move HAS to be to make an Atomic Manufacturer. That stuff 3D prints with molecules and atoms! I could just feed a schematic and the right elements into it and not have to bother putting stuff together, the finished product would just come out! Well, except for the big stuff, that I'll still have to put together the old-fashioned way."

"I trust you to prioritize your own project list, Tenten," Naruto said lightly.

They passed a few minutes with conversation before they arrived. The Invictus raced into the system and the safety protocols kicked in, dropping them out of hyperwarp before they got too close to any gravity wells, but near enough to the field of unwitting chunks of rock.

"Bring us within weapon range," Naruto said to Fu, and she nodded firmly as she carried out his orders.

Hana took a deep breath, and then powered up the gunnery chair for the Tactical Station. There was a bass hum of power as the lights came to life around her, and with a click of a button the holographic targeting matrix appeared, casting a soft blue glow over that corner of the Bridge.

They could see at once there had been major changes. Hana was now positioned inside the interface with a holographic shell surrounding her, rather than just a glowing panel in front of her eyes. The softly glowing blue sphere curved out from both sides of her chair, and she sat at the rear end of the globe, with a holographic representation of the Invictus directly in front of her. She pressed a button activating the ship's weapons, and the armored sections of hull plating slid back, revealing the lengthy barrels beneath. As each of the gun batteries came online, the weapon controls in her hands began to illuminate, the buttons beneath her fingers flickering before glowing brightly.

Firing arcs were shown on the holographic sphere, displaying the fields of fire for each of the different ship based weapons at her disposal. The Mass Drivers and Beam Lasers could only face forward, with narrow, but very long fire arcs. In contrast, the Laser Cannons and the Gatling Lasers were all turreted, and their numerous overlapping fields of fire criss-crossed each other in a complex latticework of broad cones.

"Everything looks good with the weapon integration to Fire Control," Hana said to Tenten, before carefully moving the weapon controls in her hands. "All weapons are fully active and tracking correctly."

They could see the fire arcs shifting as Hana moved each hand, the dozens of weapons responding to every movement.

Hana frowned. "Shikamaru, increase sensitivity by 500%."

"You sure you want it six times more likely to miss?" the AI asked worriedly.

"Trust me," Hana told the Ship Assistant.

Shikamaru's hologram nodded and then suddenly the fire arcs were moving much faster and smoother at every twitch of Hana's fingers.

Tenten nodded, and then turned to her console, before reporting, "Hooking up the data from the sensor array, and feeding it to the Fire Control System."

The faintly glowing blue sphere flickered briefly, and then just like that, it was as if Hana was floating in the middle of the asteroid belt. Exact replicas of each hunk of rock were faithfully displayed; from tiny ones no larger than a man's head, to the absolutely enormous ones that were as big as the ship, all shown spinning and drifting gently.

"I'm picking up the local objects. Now testing the data overlay and optical targeting," Hana informed them calmly.

She activated a control, and all the asteroids in the vicinity were immediately tagged with a variety of information from velocity to heading. As none of the asteroids were shielded, all the information was displayed in red. The Lieutenant glanced at each potential target, cycling through dozens in seconds, and leaving each one displaying a targeting reticle.

"OK, commencing fire test," Hana said, her eyes shining with anticipation.

She closed her eyes and tried to remember the advice Tenten had given her when Hana had asked about her trick of typing two different things with each hand. "Just relax and let it flow through you," the ravenette had said.

When she slowly opened her eyes once more, everything seemed sharper, and she knew that she was ready. She focused purely on the targets, letting her remarkable mind guide her hands by instinct alone. She took a deep breath and then unleashed the full firepower of the Assault Cruiser.

Everyone else on the Bridge watched in open-mouthed amazement, as Hana's fingers danced over the triggers on the weapon controls like a concert pianist performing a masterpiece. The Invictus continued drifting through the asteroid belt, as blue laser bolts, pulsating beams of energy, and heavy shells poured out in an unending stream of destruction. Her hands were moving independently of each other, controlling both the port and starboard mounted weapons simultaneously, as she ripped through the asteroids. She alternated between ruthlessly eliminating target after target on both sides of them, and ploughing a path directly ahead with the front facing heavy weapons. She timed the weapon cooldowns and recharge times to perfection, maximising the damage output of the ship.

The Lieutenant ceased firing, and the Nymph brought them to a gentle stop, pausing at the head of a long trail of devastation torn through the asteroid belt.

"I've never seen anything like it!" Naruto marvelled. "It was like you were using all the weapons at the same time! I couldn't even tell what you were firing at half the time."

Hana deactivated the ship's weapons, covering them behind the Invictus' protective armor plating once more, and she blushed slightly as she looked around at her shipmate's awed faces.

"Okay, now I'm convinced you could survive an ambush in the heart of House Guren space," Kakashi said faintly, eyes wide as coins.

"This is what happens when you enhance an expert marksman," Hinata observed with pride.

"Just imagine all that with Quantum weapons! Hana, we'll make you a fleet destroyer yet!" Tenten cheered, pleased as punch that the upgrades had been so effective.

"You used the same technique as Tenten, focusing on multiple complex tasks at once!" Sakura realized.

"I asked for a tip," Hana understated.

Naruto stood from his Command Chair to give his Tactical Officer a big smooch and a crushing hug. "I'm so proud of you, Hana. You're the best shot in the galaxy, I have no doubt!"

Hana all but glowed from the praise and happily sank into Naruto's arms.

"Well done everyone, that was one hell of a show. Let's make our way back to Geniya Station now, and get ready for the rendezvous with Karin," Naruto commanded.

Hinata smiled wryly as she said, "She doesn't strike me as the kind of girl who likes people turning up fashionably late."

Naruto laughed and said, "I think you're probably right. Fu, take us out of here please."

The Nymph leapt to follow his order, and she brought the Invictus around in a tight arc, before travelling out of the asteroid belt back the way they came. They admired Hana's handiwork on the way out, amazed at how total the destruction was through the floating rocks, in a broad path as wide as the firing range of the Laser Cannons.

Soon they were clear of the hazardous asteroid field, and Hinata plotted them a route back to Geniya Space Station, the green line of her flight path on the Sector Map showing the trail through the intervening systems. She powered up the Tachyon Drive, and they jumped into hyperwarp, racing at incredible speed across the huge distances between the stars. The twenty minute journey passed by in the blink of an eye, with them all chatting animatedly about the upgrades to the ship, so it almost came as a surprise when they eventually arrived in the Theta Aquarii system.

The passive sensors almost instantaneously populated the Tactical Map with detailed information on every ship in the system, as the incredibly sensitive sensor array went to work.

"That's Karin's ship," Kakashi pointed out helpfully.

They all looked up at the Tactical Map, and Hinata zoomed in on the distinctive ship, so that they could look at it in detail. The Oto Cruiser was smaller than the Invictus, and seemed to have an elegant look about it, constructed with an aesthetic grace unseen on any other ship they had encountered so far. The ship was all graceful curves and flowing lines, and the numerous sparkling crystal domes made the Oto vessel look delicate and fragile. The jutting weapon barrels and multitude of turrets put to rest any thought that the ship posed no threat, and there was an aura of deadly menace about the ship.

Hana looked at all the crystal domes, and shook her head dubiously, "Those domes are like painting a bullseye on the ship's vulnerable spots. The Oto vessel might look pretty, but I can't see that craft having any durability in a heated firefight."

Kakashi smiled at her knowingly, and said, "Actually, the clear crystal tech we use is a lot tougher than the reinforced Titanium that Konoha use for armor plating. A couple of inches of strengthened crystal, could take about as much of a beating as one foot thick Titanium. The rest of their hull is armored in reinforced crystal as well, but the rest of the armor isn't transparent."

Hana nodded and reassessed the alien ship with a discerning eye.

Tenten tilted her head. "If I didn't have the formula for Unobtanium in my head, I'd be tempted to use this crystal tech. As it is, what's the point?"

"Shall we do an active scan?" Sasuke asked, inquiring about the one thing he really did on the Bridge.

Naruto shook his head. "Until the knife is drawn and headed for our back, she's a friendly. You don't active scan your allies."

"We're being hailed," Gaara said.

"Restrict the viewscreen to my face, I don't want her seeing Kakashi," Naruto ordered his Grey lover.

Gaara nodded and flicked a few switches. Karin's armor's helmet appeared in holo-image. "I was starting to think you weren't going to make it," she said, and Naruto could easily imagine her annoyed frown.

"Sorry, had to field test a few new upgrades to the ship. In any case, we're still ten minutes early," Naruto pointed out.

Karin nodded. "As you know, the plan is to head for Quanthos, where you will escort me into the Zetsu nest and help me to detonate the incendiary device."

"How do you expect us to get out in time to avoid going up like the rest of the Zetsu?" Naruto asked, voicing Hinata's astute thought.

"There is a timer," Karin said as if she were talking to an imbecile.

"And you're willing to risk your life on us escorting you out of the heart of hostile territory in the time it takes for the countdown to reach zero?" Naruto inquired.

Karin tilted her head. "Are you not a 'mighty' Uzu with weapons that make Oto equivalents look 'watered-down?'" she asked challengingly.

Naruto grinned smarmily. "Indeed, I am. Just wanted to hear you admit it."

She visibly bristled, even under her armor. Karin leaned over to the side, pressing a couple of buttons on a console, and said, "Move into formation with my Cruiser, and we will sync hyperwarp signatures with your vessel." He could hear the condescension in her tone when she added, "Don't worry, we'll slow down enough so your Konoha vessel can keep pace."

He smiled back at her wryly and said, "Don't worry about us. We're in a hurry, so gradually increase your hyper-warp velocity to maximum, and we'll adjust our speed accordingly."

Karin laughed derisively and said, "I think you vastly overestimate what that ungainly crate can do. Transferring our flight path to your Nav computer." With that, she closed the comm channel abruptly.

"So she thinks our weapons are top notch but our Tachyon Drive would be piss-poor K-Fed? I can believe she has a brain tumor if she's acting that stupid," Tenten grumbled.

Kakashi tilted his head. "Karin has a brain tumor… that explains so much. And the same is probably true for Anko."

"Must be a mutation caused by the psychic powers," Sakura hypothesized.

Hinata glanced over at Naruto and said, "We've received the flightpath and the Nav data. The Navigation computer is just updating our maps with all the new stars."

Naruto nodded and gazed up at the local sector map, as their route through Oto space was plotted above them with a glowing green line. The route they would be taking from the Geniya trading post in Theta Aquarii, to Karin's homeworld in Epsilon Aquarii, was an almost straight line with just a minor deviation to the Beta Capricornus system.

"The Konoha Federation has no knowledge of these systems," he said to the crew, "So we'll be the first non-Oto to see them."

"Except for Orochimaru," Fu noted distractedly, looking curiously at the overhead map.

Naruto nodded soberly, and stared at the long channel of stars that forged a path deep into Oto territory. "How long will it take us to get there?" he asked Hinata.

The bluenette girl paused for a moment as she performed the calculations. "If we were travelling alone, with me plotting our course, and flying at our normal maximum hyperwarp speed, then nearly 3 days. With a regular Konoha Tachyon Drive it would take just over 12, so let's hope the Oto are faster than that!"

They switched their attention back to the System Map, and the Oto cruiser increased the power to its engines, moving to flank them and escorting the Invictus to the Nav Beacon. It took them a couple of minutes to reach the beacon, which marked a location sufficiently far from the local gravity wells that they could jump into hyperwarp unobstructed. Hinata waited for the Oto vessel to power up its Tachyon drive, then activated their own a few seconds later.

The Invictus was still the first to activate, with the Uzu 0.5 Tachyon Drive swathing them in the blue Tachyon field, and launching them smoothly into hyperwarp. Hinata kept their speed at a minimum while they waited for the other ship to catch up, and when it did so, the Oto cruiser raced past them, their Navigator obviously intending to humiliate the Invictus.

HInata grinned as she accepted their challenge, and cranked up the power, dramatically increasing the speed of the Assault Cruiser. In a couple of seconds she had effortlessly caught up with the Oto vessel, matching their velocity as the Oto Navigator pushed their ship faster. Eventually the acceleration levelled off, and Hinata's melodic laughter echoed triumphantly around the Bridge, as she realised that was the fastest the Oto ship could go.

"They actually have pretty good Tachyon tech," she admitted as she glanced at their current speed. "It looks like they are using a very similar Tachyon drive to those the Suna fit as standard. Ours is much better, but this Oto ship is still twice the speed of Konoha military ships."

She enlarged the sector map, which showed their projected route through Oto space, and began to make dozens of minor adjustments to their flight path. Naruto and the crew watched in fascination, as the projected length of time to complete the route dropped with every change. The modifications she was making with her warp tunnelling techniques increased their velocity further, and she smiled with satisfaction when she was done, the total flight time showing six days. She grinned at him when she pushed a button, and transmitted the greatly improved flightpath back to the Oto ship.

"Let's see what they make of that," Hinata said smugly.

They were hailed a few moments later, and Karin said in a shocked voice, "How are you matching speeds with us?! No Konoha ships are that fast!"

"I'm not Konoha," Naruto said bluntly. "Use the new flightpath we sent you, my crew have improved it. We want to wrap up our business as quickly as possible."

Karin stammered for a moment, clearly shaken, before nodding mutely and closing the channel.

"I wish I could have seen her face," Kakashi said wistfully. "That would have been priceless."

Naruto smiled and nodded, before returning his attention to the holographic map that was hovering above them. "It looks like it's going to take us about four days to reach the system for Karin's detour," he said speculatively.

Tenten rubbed her hands together with glee. "If you don't mind if I kick upgrading the Raptor's flight systems down the list, I can have you all wielding Quantum Rifles when you go for the Zetsu! It'll only take two days to assemble the Atomic Manufacturer with the Uzu elements, the Mass Fabricators, and the maintenance robots to help. I could crank out 8 Quantum Rifles easily in two days! They'll be Unobtanium too, not Invictium, so they'll be good as shields and swords at the same time!"

Naruto grinned and kissed his Chief Engineer. "Do what you want, honey. Though I can't wait to get my hands on genuine Uzu tech! And if I know you, you've upgraded the original design."

She shrugged nonchalantly. "So I made them 46% stronger and cut 23% percent in power costs. No big deal."

Sasuke snorted. "You improved a highly advanced weapon. You're a certified genius, and you love our praise, don't deny it."

Tenten visibly preened. "Well, it never gets old, hearing it."

Naruto removed himself from Tenten. "Well, it's about time for lunch. And then I've got back-to-back swordsmanship lessons with Lee and Sasuke."

The others agreed, having their own pursuits, which in Kakashi's case was blowing Naruto at meal times and then researching finance opportunities on the holo-net in between. They had a tasty lunch, and then went about their normal routine, heedless of being the first to enter Oto space in millennia.

The next few days passed by in a blur, with each of the crew keeping themselves busy, catching up on training and research. Karin didn't contact them again, but Hinata noted with some amusement that the Oto Cruiser escorting them deeper into their territory, was sticking rigidly to her revised flightpath.

On the fourth morning of their trip through Oto Space, Naruto awoke to find a warm, wet mouth sliding up and down his cock, just as he had every other morning for the last several days. Kakashi had taken it upon himself to replace their alarm clock with an early breakfast. None of the rest of the crew complained about being awakened by orgasm, so Kakashi had everyone's full blessing to blow the Alpha at the crack of dawn.

When Naruto finally released, waking the Pack both from the noises he made and the psychic feedback, Naruto sat up and encouraged Kakashi to settle back into his embrace. The blue-skinned male had only gained an inch in height, but he'd put on at least 20 pounds of muscle. He was most definitely 'filling out', and in another few days would have reached the Beta build entirely.

"I have a surprise this morning," Shikamaru told them before the double doors of the Quarters opened and the maintenance robots floated in on their heavily upgraded anti-grav generators, carrying trays of ham steak, French toast, and hashbrowns, with pitchers of fruit smoothie and hot chocolate to accompany it.

Tenten almost teared up. "You made us breakfast. Shikamaru, that is so sweet!"

"I can't promise it'll be special like Naruto's, but I followed the procedure for each dish perfectly," Shikamarum prefaced as they started taking their first bites.

Naruto took a bite and a sip of smoothie. "Good as any standard restaurant. Not bad, Shikamaru. What brought this on?"

"Just want to contribute to the crew. I feel like I'm just a guard dog that can speak, half the time," the AI confessed.

"Are you kidding? I couldn't have done a quarter of the research I've done without you!" Tenten cried out.

"Having someone constantly on watch is an invaluable asset to any Naval crew," Sasuke asserted.

"Your suggestions for new and interesting animals to try shifting into was very helpful," Fu spoke up.

The rest of the crew gave similar endorsements, until Shikamaru cried out "Alright, alright, I'm useful! Just eat your damn breakfast! Troublesome organics."

"We love you too, Shikamaru," Naruto told him.

"So, who's going with you on the Zetsu extinction mission?" Hana asked curiously.

"Well, you'll stay up here in case this is an ambush to fire the big guns. Fu can ferry us in the Raptor, and I want her to keep manning it again in case of an ambush and so we can fly away from this firebomb as soon as we get back from the nest. And Kakashi's out since he's not Pack yet. Otherwise, we're all going," Naruto stated authoritatively.

Sasuke tilted his head. "This will be my first combat mission since I joined the crew. Finally get to put all those hours of training to good use."

Hinata grinned. "The Zetsu won't know what hit them."

"I get to see my babies' fire tests in action? You're so sweet to me," Tenten flirted.

"I'll be ready to liftoff the second you're all onboard," Fu vowed.

Gaara cracked his knuckles. "I used to eat fungus. Now it's going to try to eat me. How poetic."

Sakura nodded determinedly. "I'll dissect the first ones we find to point out their weaknesses," she promised.

"Well, in that case, how long until we get to Quanthos?" Naruto asked.

"About 3 hours," Shikamaru supplied

"What could we get up to in three hours, I wonder?" Naruto said saucily, using Psychic Healing.

The Pack put aside their breakfast. Apparently, they were going to work it off the fun way.


	40. Chapter 40

A soft chime from the comm interface alerted them to an incoming call, and realising they needed to get up now anyway, the crew got out of bed and disappeared into the bathroom for a shower, sweaty from the frenzied lovemaking of the last couple hours. Naruto sat up in bed, and accepted the incoming call, and was surprised to see that Karin wasn't wearing a helmet and seemed to be contacting him from a different location aboard her ship.

"We're nearly th-" she said curtly, before stopping abruptly, her eyes widening when she saw his muscular torso.

Naruto smiled at her brazenly and said, "Apologies for my state of undress, you caught me having a lie-in. We're just getting up now, but we'll be ready in good time for when we arrive at the Beta Capricornus system."

Karin nodded and re-established her haughty persona. "My Cruiser will stay in orbit, but I'll head to the surface in a dropship. Follow me down to the landing zone, and I'll lead you into the Zetsu nest," she said imperiously.

"Just how dangerous are these 'Zetsu'?" Naruto asked her, his eyes narrowing suspiciously.

Her answering smile was cunning as she replied, "Nothing you won't be able to handle, I'm sure. I'll be accompanying you in any case, and you can rest assured that I wouldn't expose myself to unnecessary danger."

Naruto conceded that was a good point. He fixed her with a steely gaze and said in a voice as quiet as the grave, "It goes without saying that if this is some kind of trap intended to hurt me or my crew, there will be unpleasant consequences."

She smiled at him wickedly and asked, "Is that a threat, Naruto?"

He smiled back at her grimly, and replied, "No, it's a promise. You know exactly what I am, and what I can do."

Karin's bravado was shaken at that, and she shivered involuntarily and averted her gaze. "Be ready in an hour," she said, and abruptly closed the comm channel.

He sat back and let out a sigh, as the holographic image of the blue-skinned Oto woman blinked out in an instant. He glanced to his left, and saw eight beautiful faces watching him curiously from the bathroom, where the crew had been listening in on the conversation between him and Karin.

"What is it about her that gets you going? It can't just be because she's hot," Hinata asked, strolling over to lay on the bed beside him.

Naruto shrugged. "Maybe it's the fact she's a member of an Uzu slave race and she's talking back to me. I can't take her seriously. I just want to bend her over and give her a good spanking to put her in her place."

Sasuke stuck his head out from where he'd gone into the closet. "That's a dangerous attitude to have, even with how much more dangerous we are than she is."

"I know. I'll work on it," Naruto promised his Matriarch and Patriarch and his crew in general.

The crew all separated to their respective rooms to put on sensible clothing to wear under armor or into combat. Then the nine of them went up to the Command Deck, the six who were going into the Zetsu nest getting suited up.

Naruto went to the weapon racks and stared at the firearm that had replaced the Laser Railgun. It had the same glittering white color as Invictium, and yet was somehow… purer, like comparing a cubic zirconium to a diamond. It was sleek and angular, and was the size of his outstretched arm with an extra-long barrel. There was an ammo slot in bullpup design, and when Naruto took a clip, he saw the same white of Unobtanium in the bullets.

"Why do the bullets have to be Unobtanium?" Naruto asked.

"Because only Unobtanium can handle the strain of being lifted to an exotic state of matter without exploding like a miniature nuke. I already had Gaara order a second shipment of Uzu elements to be sent to Geniya for when we head back towards Konoha space. We each only get about 300 rounds apiece so try not to miss," Tenten said, loading a clip into her own Quantum Rifle.

Naruto heaved his weapon off the rack and found himself almost over balancing, the Quantum Rifle proving light as a feather.

"Did I forget to mention there's an anti-grav generator built into the stock next to the Power Core? No need to flex, Mr Muscles," Tenten teased.

Naruto glared playfully at his Chief Engineer and loaded up five extra clips of Unobtainium bullets, and he noted that there was still a knob like there'd been on the Laser Railguns. "What're the settings?" Naruto asked.

"There's three. The first is standard half-power, which with a miniature Uzu Power Core is still halfway between Railgun Light and Railgun Heavy on the old Laser Railguns. The second is about 40% stronger than Tankbuster was, and will take down everything but a Mizu shield in one shot. Setting three is Anti-Spacecraft and is about as strong as your average K-Fed Laser Cannon. That will obliterate anything it touches, so save it for if the Zetsu have the equivalent of a Broodmother, okay?" Tenten said with real anticipation of firing off these bad boys.

Hinata lifted her own Quantum Rifle while Naruto got his Invictium sword and swung into its magnetic scabbard. "We look just like the women from the cave paintings, now," Hinata said, posing with Tenten and Sakura."

"But in white, which while still as much a color of death as black in some cultures, is much easier on the eyes," Gaara argued, looking down at his Quantum Rifle as if he were holding a piece of history in his hands.

Sasuke admired his Beta Armor, even doing a cartwheel to feel how the Armor moved with him like a second skin. "I'd hardly believe this stuff is shielded and immune to laser fire if I didn't trust you completely, Tenten."

"Well, believe it, hunk. Now, are we all ready?" Tenten asked, looking the six of them over.

They filed into the Bridge, sitting down at their stations, Naruto having to remove his sword and lay it beside him on the ground so he didn't pierce his Command Chair. They passed the next 45 minutes in tense conversation, the anticipation starting to get to them. They then finally arrived at the Beta Capricornus system, the Oto Cruiser taking them on a path for the planet on the fourth orbital path from the star. Soon they were in geostationary orbit over where Naruto presumed was the Zetsu nest.

Naruto looked up at the holographic view of the small planet that hovered above them in the Bridge. The tag next to the lush, verdant world read "Quanthos", and the single continent was covered in a swathe of sprawling forests. The one major exception was a ridge of mountains directly below them, where they currently orbited the planet.

"Okay, Hana, you stay on guard in case House Guren plans to ambush us. Fu, you okay with your role as just a pilot?"

"Part of me wishes I was going in there with you, but I understand the need to be on-hand. Shikamaru has a five-second delay piloting the Raptor, and depending how long it takes to exit the blast radius, five seconds could be life or death. I'll be following along the Pack mind and I'll be ready the instant you're all aboard," the Nymph promised.

"Okay. Let's all go down to the Raptor. Hana, Shikamaru, I'm trusting you with our home. Make me proud," Naruto ordered with a smile.

"Yes, Naruto," they answered promptly.

They all took the anti-grav tube down to the Docking Bay, where the Raptor was waiting for them already warmed up and the outer doors had already opened.

"Thanks, Shikamaru!" Naruto called out for the cameras to pick up.

"No problem," the AI said into his helmet.

They sat in the chairs at the back of the Cockpit, and watched quietly as Fu quickly and efficiently went through the last of her safety checks. Nodding with satisfaction, she took hold of the flightstick and then smoothly lifted them off the deck and then out of the yawning portal in the side of the Invictus. As she pivoted the Raptor, they saw the bright golden flash of the Oto dropship, which was waiting patiently for them.

A chime on the Pilot's console alerted them that they were being hailed, and when Fu accepted the call, the viewscreen in the cockpit flickered to life. Karin's golden armored helmet filled the image and she said curtly, "Follow me down to the surface. The entrance to the Zetsu nest is not easy to find."

She cut off the call before any of them had a chance to respond, and the golden Oto ship rotated gracefully before it began to descend to the planet below. Karin's ship was about half the size of their own, and it looked sleek, nimble and very agile, which proved to be the case, considering the effortless ease of its maneuvers. Judging by the numerous weapon barrels jutting from the wings and hull, it seemed to be some kind of Heavy Fighter, but without an active scan, it was difficult to know more.

The flight down to the surface only took a couple of minutes, and Karin's ship flew over the rocky mesa of the mountain range, before dipping down towards the edge of a rocky outcropping. At this altitude, they could see that the rocky shelf overhung a broad cavern entrance that disappeared into murky gloom. There was a small flat meadow area outside the entrance, before the edge of the mountainous area met the solid wall of green forests beyond. The Oto ship swooped in and touched down lightly, its landing cushioned by the skilful use of retro-thrusters.

Fu brought them down beside the smaller ship, and when they landed, Naruto and the crew rose to their feet.

"We'll be in touch as soon as we're ready to leave," Naruto said to the Nymph, who stood and watched them anxiously. "Take off as soon as we're clear."

They left the cockpit as Fu returned to her seat, dropping down in the anti-grav tube, and striding through to the front loading area. Tenten hit the button to lower the ramp, and they walked out onto the surface of Quanthos a few moments later. Hinata let Fu know they were all out, and she raised the ramp while idling the engines, not bothering to power down when expecting a quick getaway or potential ambush.

The back of the Oto ship had rotated upwards and Karin stood nearby pressing buttons on some kind of device that was built into the vambrace of her armor. A six-foot-long hovering platform floated silently out of the back of the ship, with a large and complicated looking device securely attached to the top. It consisted of four cylindrical objects, each around two feet tall, with a larger column in the center.

Tenten walked over to join the Oto woman as she carefully maneuvered the hover-sled out of the back of the ship. "Wow! Where'd you get your hands on Bakuton? I thought that only grew in the Iwa Republic," she asked eagerly.

Karin's head snapped up. "How did you know the components?" she demanded.

"Psychic powers, duh," Tenten said while wiggling her fingers.

Karin seemed to gulp before ignoring Tenten. Karin walked over to join Naruto and the others, with the hover-sled floating obediently behind her. As she cleared the Oto ship, it lifted straight up, the landing struts folding smoothly back into the gleaming golden hull. It raced away, and they watched it for a moment as it soared up into the heavens.

"We may proceed inside," Karin said, un-shouldering a laser rifle that looked identical to the ones used by the Oto guards back on Geniya Space Station.

*Alright, let's move in,* Naruto said to the Pack. *Hinata and I take point, Tenten and Sakura can cover our flanks, Gaara and Sasuke cover the rear.*

They began to walk cautiously into the darkened cavern entrance, and to Naruto's surprise, it started to get a little brighter the further they went inside, when he had been expecting the exact opposite. There seemed to be some kind of luminescent fungus lining the base of the walls where they met the floor, which started to appear with more frequency the deeper they went. There was a slight incline to the broad tunnel, and once they had walked for a couple of hundred meters, the gradient of the slope began to increase.

"What do Zetsu look like?" Naruto asked their guide.

"You'll see soon enough. Like living toadstools, if you must know," she said irritably.

They continued onwards, and according to the atmospheric readings displayed in the helmet GUI, the moisture level in the air was increasing. A layer of mist covered the ground, growing thicker as they descended, and the unseen floor began to squelch with every footfall. Eventually the mist was up to calf height, which was high enough to obscure the luminous mushrooms, giving the mist an eerie glow.

*You take me to the most delightful places,* Hinata said to him with amusement.

Naruto smiled in his helmet, but kept a sharp eye ahead in case any threatening targets should appear. The tunnel began to curve gently to the left, and then passages began to appear on both sides, leading off into impenetrable darkness.

"Keep following the main tunnel," Karin said, pre-empting his next question.

They followed the broad passageway down, the tunnel at least thirty meters wide and the ceiling a good twenty meters above them. Naruto began to hear damp, squelching sounds coming from further ahead, and he warned the crew of potential danger. They instantly began to move more warily, as they scanned their rear and flanks, looking for threats.

The tunnel levelled out and then opened up into a huge, high-ceilinged cavern. They were high up on a ledge that arced around both sides, before gently sloping down to the base of the cavern, and below them they could see huge fungi growing up from the cavern floor. The colossal fungi were at least thirty meters high, and provided a moist orange canopy that obscured the floor of the cavern from sight. The sounds of creatures moving below them intensified, and their group paused, and peered over the ledge trying to find out what was making all the noise.

Suddenly there was a loud thump, of something big colliding with some other equally solid object. Naruto spotted movement on the fungi below, and one of them in the middle seemed to be trembling. There was another heavy thump, and the huge orange capped fungus shook violently from the impact. With a third bass rumble, the mighty fungus toppled over before crashing to the ground with a surprisingly quiet impact. The enormous mushroom bounced with a wet thump a couple of times, before coming to a rest. Naruto jogged quickly up the ledge ahead of them to get a look at whatever had knocked down the fungus, but by the time he had drawn level with the gap, whatever it was had disappeared under the impenetrable canopy of fungus caps.

The rest of the crew and Karin walked briskly to catch up with him, the grav-sled following faithfully in their wake. Now that they had reached the break in the mushroom canopy, they could see bizarre, eight-feet-tall Fungoid creatures moving around below them. There were dozens down there, moving surprisingly rapidly on three stumpy legs. They had a spongy looking torso, which contained four beady eyes, a gaping fanged mouth, and two long arms that ended in sharp looking hooks. Their bodies were a pale white, but their heads were topped in bright red mushroom caps, covered in sickly yellow spots.

"Those are the Zetsu," Karin informed them. "Hideous, aren't they?" she added with disgust.

*Those hooks look nasty. We don't want them getting too close,* Naruto thought to Hinata, and she nodded when he glanced her way.

Ripping and tearing sounds began to drift up to them, drawing their attention back to the floor of the cavern. The Zetsu were hacking the felled Fungus to pieces, carving it into smaller chunks with hefty blows from their robust arms. The sickle shaped claws seemed to be having no problems chopping up the sturdy trunk of the fungus, and they moved up the stalk, slicing it to ribbons. Some smaller, squat-looking four armed Fungoid creatures came stomping along to join them, and they stooped over to gather up the fungus chunks that were strewn over the floor.

"What the heck are they doing?" Tenten asked curiously.

Sakura leaned over, straining to get a better look, and sounded fascinated as she said, "Maybe the big fungus is some kind of food? They look like they could be harvesting them. Those bigger Zetsu are probably some kind of warrior caste, and the smaller ones might be a worker drone perhaps?"

Karin had crossed her arms, and began to tap her fingers against her golden armor impatiently. "We've wasted enough time in this dreadful place, let's get a move on," she said in annoyance.

"Which way from here?" Naruto asked her curtly, growing tired of her surly tone.

She pointed ahead of them to the ramp that dropped down below the fungus caps, and said, "We need to go down there to the cavern, work our way along for another hundred meters or so, and take another tunnel down to a bigger cavern below."

Naruto walked over to the ramp and began to cautiously descend, with Hinata striding briskly to catch up with him. Karin came along next with the grav-sled, leaving the other four to bring up the rear. Their group made steady progress downwards, drawing level with the giant orange mushroom caps, and then eventually moving below, so that they could finally clearly see the ground level of the cavern.

The fifteen Zetsu warriors had hacked apart the stalk of the enormous mushroom, and were now merrily carving their way through the huge, umbrella-like cap. They seemed to be completely engrossed in their task, and had either not noticed Naruto, Karin and the crew, or couldn't care less about their presence in the cavern. The smaller squat Fungoids that Sakura had guessed might be Zetsu drones, scurried along with their odd, rolling gait. The stumpy creatures ignored the humanoids, and made a detour around them as they carried armfuls of mushroom chunks deeper into the cavern.

Naruto led them cautiously across the cavern, sticking to the right hand wall, and the strange illumination from the glowing fungus. His acute hearing could detect the tinkling sound of running water from up ahead on his right, and he waved the others to a halt as he warily approached a broad tunnel on the side of the cavern, just as Karin had described. After stepping inside and nearly slipping on the glistening floor, he listened intently for any worrying sounds. Not hearing anything alarming, he backed out, and then beckoned the rest of the group forward.

"The floor is wet, probably some kind of runoff for all the moisture in here. Watch your footing when we walk down there, it's very slippery," he said, warning them to caution.

Hinata moved to his side, and they began to walk further down the tunnel, the occasional scuffing sounds and muffled curses announcing when someone had nearly slipped on the slick tunnel floor. It took nearly five painful minutes of carefully placed steps to safely reach the cavern below, and they all heaved sighs of relief when they arrived on firmer footing. As they took in their surroundings, there were gasps of surprise when they looked around at the astonishing sight in front of them.

This cavern area was huge, with long stone ridges rising up, and crisscrossing the vast underground cave. It was even damper in here, and water dripped from the ceiling in long rivulets, before pooling on the ground and running over the edge into trickling waterfalls down bottomless sinkholes. The entire area was shrouded in mist, with dense fog at knee height across the floor. Above them, long silvery veins of some kind of metal ran the entire length of the cavern ceiling, while long stalactites reached down like the multi-fanged maw of some terrifying predator. Dozens of the stalactites had grown so long, they had joined with stalagmites from the ground, forming broad, mighty pillars that gave the illusion that they were struggling to hold up the colossal weight of the rock above them.

There were a lot of Zetsu in this area; they seemed to be mostly drones, but the taller and more menacing warriors could also be seen wandering around in groups. They were walking with a shambling but rapid shuffle of their three stumpy legs, as they hurried onward with whatever tasks Fungoids deemed important.

"We need to get over those rock bridges to the far side of the cavern," Karin informed them in a hushed voice. "We have to set up the device over there."

Naruto nodded, then led them carefully into the room, being extremely wary about placing a foot in the wrong place, and potentially tumbling down one of the holes in the floor. The Zetsu seemed to be ignoring the rocky bridges, so he led them over to one of the wider ones, measuring three meters across in most places. The footing seemed reasonable, so he cautiously proceeded up the ten meter long slope until it levelled off. He studied the hundred meter long ridgeline, and it seemed to be consistently wide and flat enough across the entire length, for them to safely proceed.

"This looks good, come on up," he called down to them, and Hinata followed after him immediately, with Karin and the crew moving close behind.

Naruto waited for them to reach the top, and they began to walk steadily along the rocky bridge, darting cautious glances to the left and right at the strange alien inhabitants of this underground ecosystem. The Zetsu seemed to be ignoring them completely, paying them no attention whatsoever.

"It seems odd the Zetsu attacked the Oto colonists," Sasuke mused out loud. "They seem to be completely ignoring us."

Karin snorted dismissively and said, "Don't be fooled by their seeming aloofness. They are dangerous and unstable creatures, prone to random acts of violence."

Sasuke nodded in reply, and then walked silently, making good time as they crossed the bridge. Until that is, they were nearly three-quarters of the way across and Naruto cursed in alarm.

"Shit! There's a group of Zetsu drones coming across the bridge the other way!" he exclaimed to the rest of them.

"Shall we go back, and wait for them to pass?" Gaara asked him hurriedly.

He shook his head and replied, "They're moving faster than us. They'd catch up before we made it all the way back. We'll have to stick to the side, breathe in, and hope they just walk past us like the others did."

Karin repositioned the grav-sled to the side of the ramp, leaving a two meter path for the dozen drones to pass. Naruto and the crew held their rifles warily, ready for action at a moment's notice, and they waited for the Zetsu to walk past them. The squat fungoids moved into single file, and made a detour around them stomping past with their peculiar rolling gait. There were actually sixteen of them in the group, and Naruto breathed a sigh of relief as the last one walked past him. All seemed to be going perfectly, until the last one stopped when it reached the grav-sled, and turned to look at it curiously with its four beady eyes. It stared at the incendiary device with interest and reached out to the central core with its four multi-suckered hands.

"Bzap!" Karin's laser rifle sounded shockingly loud in the tranquil calm of the underground cavern, and a single bright blue laser bolt burned a fist sized hole straight through the Zetsu drone's face.

Astonishingly it was still alive, and it's arms flailed around wildly, as it let out a long keening wail. Karin stepped forward and kicked the stricken creature, sending it sailing over the edge of the bridge and into the mists below. Its death scream echoed around the cavern as it plunged to its doom, until it was abruptly and fatally silenced.

Karin chortled in amusement, as Naruto and the crew turned to look at her in shock. "What?" she asked them, when she realised they were all staring at her. "I couldn't risk it damaging the incendiary device."

Screeching cries could now be heard coming from all over the cavern, and Naruto spun to look back along the bridge. "Well the Zetsu aren't ignoring us any more. We've got incoming warriors at this end," he warned them.

"There's a shitload coming this way too!" Tenten cried out in alarm.

Naruto and Hinata crouched down at one end, sighting down the bridge as the Fungoid warriors surged up the rocky ramp, sickle shaped claws waving frenziedly.

*Their brains are an enlarged nerve ganglion, probably because of the hive-mind. Aim above and to the left of their top-right eye,* Sakura informed the Pack, using X-Ray Vision.

"Light 'em up!" Naruto ordered before taking aim and firing his Quantum Rifle for the first time.

There was a quiet little hum, a slight jump of the barrel, and then there was a bolt of purple light and holes the size of his fist appeared in the warrior Zetsu's head he'd been aiming at… and the two behind it. They one and all fell down dead and lifeless, their nerve ganglion destroyed. Naruto gaped at the power of the lowest setting, but the oncoming surge made it so he couldn't stop to congratulate Tenten on her phenomenal work. He and Hinata kept shooting, taking down the warriors and drones that surged towards them from their end of the bridge.

"Watch to your right!" Karin cried out, and Naruto glanced that way, then ducked, just in time to avoid a large rock thrown at his head.

A group of Zetsu drones were hurling heavy rocks at them from the bridge to their right hand side, and they were obviously a lot stronger than they looked, because the rocks were sailing their way with deadly speed and accuracy. Naruto opened up on one of the drones, slamming a round into its face and knocking it backwards. He then fired another single round into one of its legs, which exploded in a burst of thick fibrous white tissue, and sent it sailing over the edge of the rocky bridge. He used the same technique on the second one, and was about to move on to the third, when Karin opened up with her laser rifle.

The stream of blue laser fire lit the cavern up brightly, and the bolts of laser energy seared straight through her unfortunate target. She was firing on automatic, and literally cut three of the angry Zetsu drones in half. The disturbingly resilient creatures were still alive, thrashing angrily on the ground, but without any way of putting momentum in their throws, they had been effectively neutralized.

Naruto and the crew finished off the last of this group of warriors, the rear flank having no problem with four Quantum Rifles beating the oncoming waves. There were more though, surging around the outskirts of the cavern, maneuvering towards them.

"Let's move on," Naruto said to the Pack and Karin. "We've stopped them for now."

Picking their way over Zetsu corpses, they cautiously descended down the ramp on the other side of the bridge, and began to make their way across the vast cavern floor. Weaving a way across proved to be a painstaking process, as the floor was slippery and treacherous, and they had to be ever-vigilant in case of sinkholes. Fortunately they weren't attacked again, although they could hear the sound of ever increasing numbers of Zetsu moving around in the distance.

After five minutes of careful progress, they could see the far wall ahead of them. Many stalactites and stalagmites had merged here, forming a gallery that led through to another vast chamber. They walked through the gallery, and out onto a ledge that overlooked the next room, and looked on in awe at the sight below them.

The cave they were overlooking was colossal, and much more brightly lit. The illumination was coming from glowing fungus, which was sprouting in abundance over a huge white hill that dominated the floor of the next cavern, perhaps fifty metres below them. Silvery streaks lined the ceiling, glinting in the bright glow from all the luminescent fungus. The ledge wrapped right around the room, providing a wide natural balcony that overlooked the fungus covered hill, and dozens of unlit tunnels led into this room at regular points.

"This is the place," Karin said with grim satisfaction, and she turned to the incendiary device on the grav-sled and began to check it over.

The wet, squelching noises coming from the darkened, mist shrouded cavern behind them were getting louder, and the crew began to glance at each other in alarm.

"Get ready," Naruto warned them. "We're going to be attacked very soon."

Hinata, Sasuke, Tenten, Gaara, and Sakura, moved back to the main cavern, kneeling in firing positions behind the grav-sled, looking out warily into the gloom. Naruto walked over to Karin and stood by her side, but she was so engrossed in her work, she didn't seem to be aware of him. He was about to reach out, and place his hand gently on her shoulder, but thought better of it.

"Karin," he said firmly, jolting her from her absorption. "I need you to light up the area behind us. I think the Zetsu are readying a charge."

She paused for a moment, then nodded as she unslung her laser rifle from her shoulder, and stood between Sasuke and Hinata.

"On three," she warned them, and began counting down. When she reached one, she fired a quick burst, spraying the shots in a wide arc.

"Oh fuck!" Tenten said in alarm, as hundreds of Zetsu warriors were suddenly brightly illuminated by the staccato flash of laser fire.

A cacophonous shriek sounded out through the cavern, and the assembled mass of Fungoid soldiers surged forward, their sharply barbed claws raised, and ready to strike. The Pack began to open fire with the quiet purr of their Quantum Rifles, sending high energy rounds slamming into the enraged Zetsu.

By concentrating their one round shots to hit the creatures in the right part of the head, their firepower was proving lethal once more. Scores of the creatures went down, as the sensitive nerve ganglia were blasted to bits. Karin's laser rifle was proving even more devastating, as she was able to send searing laser bolts straight through the creatures, making every hit to the right side of their head fatal.

Naruto snapped off a round at any that were getting too close, while keeping a wary eye on the overall tactical situation. Despite how quickly the crew were gunning the Zetsu down, more and more were surging out behind them.

"Up the setting!" Naruto commanded of his crew, drawing a confused look from Karin. The Pack members faithfully turned the knobs on the sides of their Quantum Rifles and began shooting again. The purple bolts of energy-matter began to shoot holes that the crew could crawl through into the Zetsu, and continued until they hit the back wall of the cavern 200 meters away, hitting every Zetsu in their path along the way.

Karin said something in Oto which Kakashi helpfully informed Naruto translated roughly as "Fuck me running!"

Suddenly a rhythmic thumping sounded from behind them, along with the sound of a multitude of squelching footfalls. He spun, staring out across the huge room as a huge horde of Zetsu began to pour out of the tunnels that fed out onto the broad ledge around the chamber. He felt a rising surge of panic, but fought it down immediately as he ran through the pillars into the other chamber.

Flipping open the pouch carrying the explosive grenades that Tenten had made for them in her spare time (naturally stronger and lighter than K-Fed equivalents), he shouldered his rifle, and grabbed a grenade in each hand. Pressing down the activation button, he lobbed one grenade to his left and one to the right, sending them bouncing and rolling around the curved walls of the cavern thirty meters in either direction.

There were a couple of thunderous explosions, as the grenades reached the front wave of the mass of charging Zetsu. The first several creatures on both sides were blown to bits, sending white fibrous chunks in all directions, and large pieces of the ledge broke off, tumbling down into the cavern below. He quickly readied two more grenades, sending them flying in each direction, and aiming for the exact same spot, even though the lead elements of the Zetsu were already there.

He heard explosions behind him, as the girls used their own grenades, but he didn't have time to react as several Zetsu were on top of him. He let go of his rifle, and grabbed his sword, swinging it down in a broad arc, and neatly cutting through the reaching clawed arms of the first warrior. It tried to charge straight into him, so he was forced to sidestep, cutting away one of its legs as he did so, and sending it tumbling to the floor.

There were two more huge explosions from his own grenades, but he was far too busy frantically dodging razor sharp claws to be able to check on the results of the detonations. He just had to pray that the grenades were successful, or they were all doomed. Despite his skilful dodging, one of the Zetsu managed to lash him with its clawed arms, cutting a mild scratch in his dodeca-shaped Invictium armor, and knocking him sideways. It took him a moment to recover his balance, during which time the second warrior slashed its powerful claws across his leg, gouging another scratch in the armor.

Cursing that Shields only applied to high-velocity projectiles, Naruto planted his feet to avoid being knocked over, and performed a quick darting slash, that cleanly cut one of the clawed arms in half. The other two warriors were moving to surround him, so he darted forward, chopping down and cutting away the front leg of the Zetsu in front of him, making it topple forward. As it fell to the ground at his side, a plunging stab to the back of the head speared the nerve cluster and it collapsed lifelessly.

The remaining two charged forward at him relentlessly, trying to knock him off the ledge, which would mean a long and deadly drop to the floor below. He dived to the side, leaping with all his strength, and they both rushed past him, flinging themselves to their doom. One of them lashed out with both arms however, aiming them into his leg, but the armor proved impervious and it slid past him into the darkness.

He leapt to his feet in alarm, readying his sword in case there were more Zetsu charging at him, and glanced either way around the ledge. He sighed with relief when he saw the ledges, and the five meter gaps that had been blown out on either side. His grenades had done their work, and the teeming horde of Zetsu warriors could only flail their arms at him in anger, rendered impotent by the broad chasm he had blasted on the only routes to him.

Naruto returned to his crew to see that they had cut down about three-quarters of the charging horde with the second setting and the help of Karin's laser rifle. Naruto was about to join them when the ever-present thumping sound got louder, but now he could feel the trembling vibration through his feet. He whirled to look behind him, just as a huge Zetsu monstrosity burst out of the biggest passage leading from the chamber. It stood nearly fifty-feet tall, looking much the same as a Zetsu warrior, but much, much larger. It's long arms were thicker than tree trunks, and ended in several wickedly sharp claws. It let out a thunderous, spine chilling roar, and then began to stomp around the ledge, as the rest of the Zetsu scrambled to get out of its way.

Naruto didn't even think. He just whipped out his Quantum Rifle, cranked it to the highest setting, and aimed for where the nerve ganglion was on a warrior. With a shot that almost knocked him off his feet if he hadn't braced himself, a ten-meter wide hole was blown in the monstrosity's face and out the back of it's head. The colossal fungoid collapsed to its back, dead as disco. The Zetsu warriors took one look at Naruto and began to flee back into their tunnels.

He turned to see Karin staring at him. Even without X-Ray Vision, something in the set of her shoulders and body language made it clear she was looking at him with horror. "You killed the sentinel with one shot," she said disbelievingly, despite having witnessed it herself.

Naruto shouldered his Quantum Rifle after turning it back to the lowest setting. "Yes. Like I told you, we have superior technology. Are you finally starting to believe it?"

Karin seemed to waver before collapsing on her back. Naruto rolled his eyes and went to her side, sending a wave of Psychic Healing at her prone body. She twitched and sat up explosively. "What… what just happened?" she demanded.

"You fainted. I woke you with my healing powers," Naruto told her, not mentioning it hadn't been enough to cure her brain tumor, which they didn't know if she was even aware of.

He offered his hand to help her up, and she hesitantly took it. "How long until the bomb is ready?" he asked, turning to his crew. They were just dusting themselves off, the Zetsu charging from the cavern following those from the chamber's example.

*After you knocked out their biggest guy, the hive-mind must have decided to switch from fight to flight,* Hinata informed him. *Remind me to kiss Tenten for making these rifles. They're badass!*

*I'll kiss you back, gorgeous,* Tenten winked from within her helmet.

"Just need to set it. Then we have ten minutes to get out of here," Karin said, recovering her composure by a thread.

Naruto grabbed the device with one hand and gently lifted it from the grav-sled and set it down on the ground balanced up. "There. Just hit the button and we'll be on our way."

Karin stared at him again. "That was five hundred pounds. I was going to leave it on the grav-sled," she said faintly.

Naruto shrugged. "I'm stronger than I look. And again, psychic powers. More than just the Telekinesis your mom terrifies you with. And speaking of, get on one of our backs. We're running out of here, I'm not chancing that thing blowing early."

Karin seemed to just give up and hit a button on the incendiary device. She took the offered piggyback from Sasuke, and then they all used Psychic Speed to retrace their path back out of the Zetsu caves. In less than a minute, they were back outside, the Raptor waiting faithfully.

Sasuke let Karin down, who seemed a little wobbly. "I'll… I'll hail you when I'm back on my ship," she said distractedly as she summoned her dropship with the computer in her vambrace. The Oto ship touched down and she entered, even as the crew got into the Raptor. They flew back to their respective ships, Fu eagerly listening to the tales of what had gone on while she was stuck topside. The crew all took the anti-grav tube to the Command Deck and took their stations after unequipping their Armors.

"The fireworks are about to start," Hana said, having thoughtfully kept a countdown from the moment Karin had pushed the button.

A few seconds later the whole mountain range seemed to tremble, as the incendiary bomb detonated, igniting the magnesium veins that interlaced the once dormant volcano. They watched fascinated as the top of the mountain exploded, blasting out molten hot magma in a thunderous explosion.

"We're being hailed," Gaara alerted.

Karin's armored face appeared on the viewscreen above them. "Congratulations, Uzumaki Naruto, you brought an end to the Zetsu. House Guren and my mother especially will not forget this favor," Karin said formally, as if reading from a script. "Kindly follow us to the Nav Beacon and sync hyperwarp signatures with us again. If your Navigator's path is correct, we will arrive at Epsilon Aquarii in two days' time." With that, she cut the transmission.

"You really freaked her out," Kakashi noted.

"I want her to realize that we're more capable than she is. Then she might do the smart thing and join us rather than stand against us," Naruto explained. "Now, who's up for lunch?"

They waited until Fu had guided them to the Nav Beacon and Hinata had launched them into hyperwarp. Then, feeling whimsical, Naruto made mushroom ravioli with sausage for the crew. The crew all enjoyed their meal, debriefing over the food.

"An utterly successful operation, I say," Naruto said, raising his glass. The others joined him in a toast, and then they separated to work on their own things for the rest of the day.

That night wasn't so much a sex party as a group lovemaking. Unlike the frenzied orgies that normally ensued when they all got together, this night was about making love, and soft sighs of pleasure soon filled the room. They swapped partners after a little while, greeting each new companion with a welcoming smile, before embracing each other tenderly. They lost track of time as they submerged themselves in blissful sensations, and just relished being with the people they loved and trusted unreservedly. It ended with Kakashi being blown up to near bursting with a double dose of Naruto's cum. They all took turns switching from the shower to the bath, and then they collapsed into bed. Shikamaru helpfully turned off the lights, and they fell into sweet slumber.


	41. Chapter 41

It was late in the morning when they all finally woke up. Naruto stretched lazily and glanced over at the ship's chronometer and saw that it was well past ten. The Pack began to wake moments later, and they sat up and stretched, smiling at him happily as they did so.

"Let's go and have some brunch," Naruto said cheerfully, and nodding eagerly, they all headed into the shower.

Everyone was well rested and recovered after such a lengthy sleep the previous night, and they had a long, unhurried shower together, which was very tactile and enjoyed by all. They dressed in their own rooms afterwards, and then reconvened in the Officer's Lounge to prepare a meal for themselves.

Naruto had the novel experience of being kicked out of his own kitchen, there simply being too many crew members willing to contribute. Shaking his head, Naruto went to the couch and pulled along Kakashi, who hadn't bothered trying for the kitchen. "Let's hope I trained them well," Naruto said lightly. "Now, want to talk before you get your own brunch?"

"Sure, what do you want to talk about?" the nude Oto male asked.

"You. We hardly know anything about you," Naruto said, pulling Kakashi into his lap.

"Not much to tell. I was born on Epsilon Aquarii IV to my mother Sakuma. I never knew my father, just one of the studs at one of the Trading outposts. I had a decent education growing up, but I was utterly terrified of my mother, her 'allies' and especially her enemies. As soon as I'd saved up enough money, I bought passage to Geniya. I apprenticed for a kind trader named Obito and eventually wound up with my own practice. That's about it."

Naruto narrowed his eyes, picking something out of Kakashi's mind. "Any other family?" He asked leadingly.

Kakashi sighed. "Once I got successful, I was suddenly desirable. I've been bid on or loaned out by House Guren five times to five different women. I have five daughters out there I barely know. Four, I should say. My eldest, Sylmae, died. Oto politics are a high stake game and she paid the price for her ambition."

Naruto hugged his Oto lover. "I'm so sorry for your loss, Kakashi."

"I hadn't spoken to her in 20 years at the time. She was a stranger to me," Kakashi said mournfully. "Not like the children I'll be having with the lovely ladies of the Pack, I hope," he added, switching to hopeful.

Naruto grinned. "You'll be an excellent father, I'm sure. And it's not too late for you to have a relationship with your daughters. I might have to enthrall them to stop them being bitches, which will be a bit awkward, but it's possible."

Kakashi looked a tad uncomfortable at the thought of Naruto feeding his progeny his cum, but the prospect of being able to hug and kiss his little girls was worth it. "They'll look beautiful with white hair."

Naruto kissed Kakashi and scratched the man's scalp. "Not as beautiful as their father," he said genuinely.

Kakashi blushed. "Charmer," he accused.

"Just honest with my opinions," Naruto countered. "Now, you want a bite of what the Pack cooked up or just a double dose here and now?"

"You know, it smells so good, I want to try it. Is that meat I smell?" Kakashi wondered.

Naruto took a deep breath and between his enhanced senses and sensitive palate worked out what his crew were working on. "Chicken and waffles with syrup. Sweet and savory combined at last. It's a Konoha comfort food."

True to his guess, the seven members of the pack who'd crammed themselves in the tiny kitchen came out with platters of buttermilk fried chicken and cinnamon waffles with a variety of syrup flavors. The crew all tucked in once they took their seats, and enjoyed the fruits of their labor.

Naruto moaned around a bite. "You all are perfect wife and husband material!" He complimented, getting doe-eyed looks from the crew. "Sakura, you lifted Kakashi's unaltered DNA from the glass he used that first night. What did you find out?"

Sakura wiped a bit of syrup from her lip and launched into her explanation. "The Oto naturally have triple-helix DNA. But they originally started out with double-helix, I'm sure. Rather than giving them psychic powers, Orochimaru used the third strand to encode a bunch of preprogrammed responses into the Oto. I only have Kakashi to work with so we only have the male's responses, and I'd need an autopsy to be 100% certain of each one. But Oto males are definitely programmed to react to a certain stimulus with obedience and passivity, maybe even adoration. Safe bet it's the sight of a Thrall. I'd say even an Uzu, but Kakashi was totally normal with you for years so that theory's out."

Kakashi nodded. "From what you've told me about the Uzu, that makes sense. Orochimaru wouldn't bother dealing with the males, he'd send his Thralls to do it for him. Which means the females are probably programmed to fall at an Uzu's feet if they see him."

"Then why is Karin still a total psycho bitch when she talks to Naruto?" Tenten asked bluntly.

"It could be the same mutation that gives her psychic powers and the brain tumor makes her immune to the standard preconditioning," Sakura posited. "Speaking of, Gaara, did you pick up anything that would hint at her natural talent when you did the deep dive?"

"She has an unusual amount of static shocks, so she might be predisposed towards Psychic Lightning. But other than an incredible talent for hacking, it hasn't manifested," the quiet Grey said.

"She might have Psychic Hacking naturally, but that's a high-tier fusion of Psychic Lightning and Spirit-Walking. It'd be hard to activate it by accident," Naruto mused, his plate clean. "So, we have a free day until we arrive at Karin's homeworld. What's everyone up to?"

"I'm going to get the Atomic Manufacturer working on Unobtanium versions of the Armors. I don't like how the Zetsu managed to scratch dodeca-shaped Invictium. They could have torn through flesh like plastic wrap. It's thick as molasses, but I'll try to double or triple-shape it so it's that much tougher," Tenten said.

"Shapeshifting practice," Fu said simply.

"Sakura's picked up sparring as fast as she did shooting, she's smart as Tenten in her own way. Gaara here still needs work," Hana said.

"My people view violence as the last possible resort, forgive me for taking time to adapt," Gaara grumbled.

"I'll help Tenten out with the Unobtanium shaping. Got to stretch the mental muscles somehow," Hinata spoke up.

"I'll practice my kata while you spar with Lee and then have a duel with you afterwards," Sasuke stated.

"Autopsies," Sakura said flatly. "The Kusa and Nuke corpses make me jump every time I go to the Medical Bay. I'll get what I can learn from them and then space the bodies."

Kakashi shrugged. "When I'm not going down on you, I'll finish up my independent research in financial science. I'm close to a master's degree already with all the reading I've done this week. I've never felt so clear-headed and focused."

"That's the modifications to your brain kicking in. Soon you'll be able to do two different things at once," Naruto said encouragingly.

The crew finished up their big meal, Kakashi again feeling guilty for just picking the plate. The Oto got his own meal from Naruto with back-to-back blowjobs for a combination of breakfast and lunch. The crew had learned to just drop trou to avoid ruining their underwear when Kakashi fed from the Alpha.

They set out for their tasks at noon, Naruto having a chat with Shikamaru until his spar at 1400 with Lee. He took time to get to know ALL his crew members, including the digital ones. Shikamaru also proved to be much more interesting in relaying the news than Armstrong Bill, having a sharp, sarcastic wit that had Naruto in stitches. Then it was training gear and a trip to Deck 3.

They all did what they'd said they'd do with their day, meeting up again at 1800 for a tasty meal of Oto cuisine, which Naruto had faithfully recreated from ingredients and recipes they'd gotten from Geniya Station. Kakashi took a test bite and declared it worthy of Natralis, which was enough to have the rest digging in. Fu in particular found the meal divine, and she eagerly gave Naruto a congratulatory kiss when the meal was over.

Seeing Naruto with one of his women got Kakashi's imagination running. He coughed and said "You know, you haven't let any of the girls feed me yet."

Naruto rose a brow. "Indeed I haven't. So who gets to be the lucky girl?"

The girls immediately started arguing their own cases. "I'm the Matriarch, I have first dibs!" Hinata argued.

"I just sat around on the Bridge yesterday, I NEED some action!" Hana countered.

"I haven't been rewarded yet for making everyone the Quantum Rifles!" Tenten pointed out.

"It's been over a week since Master used his Nymph!" Fu begged with big kitty eyes.

"I had to cut open bodies today, I deserve a little something!" Sakura pressed.

Sasuke and Gaara watched silently as Naruto was faced with the unenviable task of selecting just one girl and disappointing four others.

*Would it be wise to suggest they wrestle for it?* The Grey asked the Chief of Staff.

*So tempting, but too dangerous. Hopefully Naruto will come up with it,* the Uchiha replied.

Kakashi seemed overwhelmed at the fight he had accidentally caused. "You know, I don't have to…"

"I have a solution that will make everyone happy!" Naruto declared. "We use Fu to fuck the rest of you lovely ladies, and Kakashi gets to eat out all five of you."

"Okay!" The girls all chorused, fine with this compromise.

Sasuke and Gaara shared a look. "I suppose it's just us two tonight," Sauske mused.

"You say that like it's a bad thing," Gaara pouted.

Naruto led the Pack to the bedroom, where they all stripped naked. Then, after some making out with his Nymph to warm up, Naruto turned Fu around and penetrated her ass. Fu promptly grew her tentacle cocks, and pushed into the ready and willing she-wolves of the Pack up to the womb. Naruto and Fu thrust back and forth for a good half hour, driving the girls to about four orgasms each, before Naruto finally roared his own release. Once Fu retracted her tentacles, each of the girls spread her legs wide to welcome Kakashi in between. Looking like he could hardly believe his luck at the buffet of freshly-fucked pussy, Kakashi ate out each girl until his stomach was nice and round. Sasuke and Gaara had had a 69 on the floor to the side.

They had a nice, relaxing shower afterwards, and then tucked in for an early night. Their day had been short, but exhausting. And tomorrow would be the fateful arrival at Epsilon Aquarii and the meeting with the dreaded Anko.

They woke to Kakashi blowing Naruto awake, as had been their routine that had been disrupted yesterday. Then they all sat up and prepared for the morning meeting in bed.

"Shikamaru, how far are we from Planet Guren?" Naruto asked.

"About an hour. We should be getting them on our sensors about fifteen minutes before we arrive. Any surprises you feel like spoiling, Kakashi?" Shikamaru asked.

Kakashi shrugged. "Just Genthalas Shipyard. It's so large that last I heard House Guren can only keep a fifth of it online and active. It's probably where the Legacy was built or repaired and where the bulk of the Thralls' fleet was constructed. Possession of it is a large part of why House Guren has remained top dog for thousands of years."

Naruto nodded, interested in seeing another artifact of Orochimaru's reign. "Growing up with that thing hanging in the sky, probably a big reason why Karin's sister, Tayuya, got interested in ancient history. It's a shame Karin had her killed in a twisted fit of jealousy. She must have learned so much about Orochimaru and his reign."

"Sadly, lives are snuffed for even smaller reasons in Oto female society. We don't even care that we're driving ourselves towards extinction," Kakashi said miserably.

"Which is why the brave, noble, well-hung Uzu is going to swoop in and save the day!" Hinata cheered, trying to introduce some levity.

They all chuckled, reminded of Naruto's cockamamie plan. The Alpha shrugged helplessly. "We'll see how things go. I might accidentally start a war for all we know. Just stay on your toes, everyone. We don't represent the Konoha Federation or whatever government the Uzu have, but we'll still be the first outsiders to step foot on Guren in living memory."

"So we're all going?" Hana asked, excited to see Oto society.

"Shikamaru can guard the ship both physically and digitally. And if a fight does start, I figure there's power in numbers. The only one staying behind is Kakashi," Naruto instructed his crew.

Kakashi held up his hands. "No arguments here. Like I said, you couldn't pay me to be in the same room as Anko."

They all got dressed in formalwear, even Kakashi finding his bodysuit, and went to the Officer's Lounge for breakfast. They didn't linger over it, excited to get up to the Bridge and get their first glimpse of the heart of House Guren territory. They spread out to their ordinary spots and watched the Sector Map as they traveled the last few systems and arrived at Epsilon Aquarii. As they arrived, they lurched out of hyperwarp, the ship's computer shutting off the Tachyon Drive when too close to local gravity wells.

The sun itself was named Albali, and was a class A star, bluish-white in appearance. The ship's sensors pulsed out, and a riot of information was almost instantly displayed over the System Map.

The Epsilon Aquarii system had four habitable planets in it, along with two large gas giants. Each of the worlds looked lush and verdant, and their flight path was taking them to the second planet, which was named Guren.

"The House AND the planet got named after the first Matriarch. Either this chick had a big ego or her subjects worshipped her," Tenten observed.

"At least two of these planets have to be terraformed. There's no way the Oto lucked out in getting four Eden-class worlds in one system. What do you think, Uzu World Engine or Weather Manipulation on a global scale?" Sakura asked.

"The former would be much easier and cheaper in energy costs," Naruto argued.

Hana gasped. "Holy shit! Genthalas is bigger than Olympus!" She highlighted and zoomed in on the relevant part of the map.

It was a vast orbital shipyard that was in a wide orbit of the planet Guren. It shared a similar architectural design as Geniya Space Station, and was golden colored, and full of towering spires and crystal domes. It appeared to be in the shape of an enormous wheel, with huge maintenance gantries, booms and stanchions located around the axis of the gently rotating shipyard. The telltale sealed doors of hundreds of docking bays dotted the hull of the colossal facility, evenly spaced and grouped in clusters, divided into segments around the circumference of the ring. Upon further magnification, it was clear that less than a quarter of the massive shipyard was active, Oto engineers and workers moving to and from a small illuminated section and the rest cloaked in shadow.

"Just the part that's on could be as active as Olympus Shipyard," Hinata noted with an impressed tone.

"Imagine how magnificent it must have been when it was entirely active," Gaara said in a hushed voice, looking with awe on another piece of history from the time of his people's creator.

Karin's Cruiser was heading towards the planet Guren, which took them past the orbiting shipyard. They watched the Oto ships flying past, all of which followed the same kind of elegant design aesthetics.

"I notice that we have yet to see anything bigger than a Cruiser," Hana pointed out.

"All of a House's capital ships are tied up at the borders of other Houses," Kakashi explained. "Trust me, the Oto have their Battleships and Dreadnoughts too."

"We're being hailed by Karin," Gaara reported.

The viewscreen filled with the holographic image of the blue-skinned Oto woman, who was no longer hidden behind her armor. Instead she appeared to be wearing some kind of flowing dress with cutaway sections that revealed the blue skin of her shoulders.

She looked somewhat subdued, and refused to meet Naruto's gaze as she looked around the Bridge. Her eyes settled on Kakashi, and suddenly went wide with surprise. Recovering her composure quickly, she said, "Follow me down to the planet, and you will be allocated a landing bay. Don't move from there, until you are given further instructions."

He opened his mouth to reply, and she closed the channel abruptly, cutting him off.

"Gaara, what did I say about restricting the viewscreen to my face?" Naruto asked, not mad, just disappointed.

Gaara flinched as if he'd been struck by a neural whip. "I'm so sorry, Commodore, I forgot."

"Well, big deal. So she knows that we recruited Kakashi. Not much she can do about it. Though I'm sure the white hair will cause some confusion," Naruto said nonchalantly. "Follow her down, Fu."

The Nymph nodded, and maneuvered the Invictus to follow after the Oto vessel. As they approached the planet the System Map was replaced by the planetary map, and Guren loomed large above them. It was a beautiful green world, with plenty of oceans and lakes spread over its surface, and numerous large cities were immediately apparent as they got closer.

They followed Karin's Cruiser down to what appeared to be the largest city on the planet, and a glowing flightpath appeared, showing them the route to take to the docking bay. Fu eased their ship along, sticking meticulously to the path they had been provided. It led them to a golden-spired metropolis that seemed to be seamlessly integrated with the encroaching forest. As they flew over the city, they could see broad streets below them, being used by intermittent traffic, mainly consisting of hover-vehicles of various shapes and sizes. There were also spacious, well cared for parks and water features between each of the buildings, providing a patchwork mosaic of greens and blues amongst the gleaming gold of the buildings.

Hinata had been watching the beautiful, well planned city below them as it flashed by, and said wistfully, "A far cry from Karron, eh Tenten?"

The ravenette nodded soberly taking in the amazing architecture and designs. "We really got some shitty luck growing up in that craphole," she said sadly.

They watched the final approach quietly, and Fu gently coaxed them in to land gently in one of dozens of docking bays in a shiny spaceport facility. For such a large spaceport, traffic from the surface to orbit was surprisingly light, and only a handful of ships raced up to the stars as they came in to land.

"Well, here we are," Naruto said. "I guess we wait for further instructions."

Wolves of Uzu

Karin walked briskly through the vaulted, high ceilinged corridors of her mother's palace. As terrified as she had been of the Uzu, that almost seemed like a strange dream now, compared to the very real and tangible fear that she always felt when meeting with her mother. She ignored the guards as she brushed past them into her mother's private quarters, knowing none of them would be reckless or foolish enough to challenge her.

Walking cautiously from room to room, she systematically explored Anko's quarters until she approached her mother's study. Instinctively she knew she would have been here all along, but maintaining the pretence of thoroughly checking the other rooms first, let her put off the meeting for longer.

The ten-foot-tall doors were embossed with the heart and crossed blades insignia of House Guren, and Karin only hesitated for a moment longer, before knocking on it tentatively.

Her mother's cold voice came through the doorway, and said, "If you've finished wandering around my quarters, I'd like to see you. Immediately."

Karin swallowed, and nervously opened the door. "Mother, it's wonderful to see you," she said cautiously as she walked into the study.

Guren Anko was seated behind a long, elegant looking desk that seemed to flow out of the nearby wall. Tall holographic screens adorned every square inch of the wall, displaying a wide variety of information for the Guren House Matriarch. She turned away from the report she had been studying, and her impassive tawny eyes settled on her daughter.

"Well?" she demanded abruptly.

Karin bowed to her mother and said, "I did as you asked, mother. We exterminated the Zetsu, and Quanthos can be colonized at our leisure."

Anko's eyes narrowed as she asked, "And what of this Orochimaru? Did you verify that he was one of their kind?"

Karin nodded and said hesitantly, "Yes, I have no doubt that he is one of them, but..."

"How are you certain?" Anko demanded, cutting Karin off. "What powers did he possess?"

Karin faltered, paling as she remembered the terrifying encounter in the subterranean lair of the Zetsu. "He... he..." she stammered in fear.

"Out with it you imbecile!" Anko snarled impatiently. "Do you think I have time to listen to you fumbling to speak?!"

Karin looked at her mother with frightened eyes, and blurted out, "He and his crew possess incredibly advanced technology, which I don't hesitate to say outmatches our own. He and his crew also seem in possession of a great many psychic powers. They read my mind, moved at incredible speeds, he lifted the bomb like it weighed a feather, and he even healed me."

Anko leaned forward, a fearsome hunger in her eyes. "Describe the nature of this healing," she demanded eagerly.

Karin looked to one side and paused before she replied, "I… I fainted. He woke me up a second later. It was like I blinked and I was on the ground with him over me. I looked myself over with the Medical Bay scanner later, and even the burns I get from firing the Laser Rifle on automatic were gone."

Anko sat back in her chair, a cunning smile twisting her lips as she steepled her fingers and tapped the first two together. Karin recognised one of her mother's mannerisms that signified she was deep in thought, and wisely remained silent, although she desperately wanted to speak up.

Finally Anko focused her cold, tawny eyes on her daughter once more, and said, "Bring the Orochimaru to me. It is high time we met."

Karin shook her head, and said urgently, "That is what I wished to warn you abou-"

"YOU are going to warn ME?" Anko snorted in disbelief, interrupting her daughter.

Undeterred, Karin tried again, throwing caution to one side as she said frantically, "You've made a terrible mistake bringing him here. You must get him to leave Oto space immediately!"

Anko rose to her feet, her eyes glowing with a terrible golden hue. "You dare speak to me like that?!" she snarled in disbelief at her daughter's impudence.

Karin dropped to her knees and pleaded, "Mother, please, you don't understa-"

Anko's eyes flared, and the sharp sound of a whistling slap echoed around the room, as Karin was backhanded across the floor. She struggled to stand again, before a second ringing slap sent her sprawling backwards to crash into the wall.

"You WILL bring him to me, or I'll leave you in a pain harness for a month!" Anko screamed, incandescent with fury.

"I'm sorry, mother!" Karin begged. "I'll do as you command!"

Anko sat down in her chair, fully composed once more. "Get out, and bring him to me immediately." she said in a frosty voice, then turned her attention to the holo-display.

Karin staggered to her feet, her face still smarting from where she had been slapped, and she hurried from the room without a backwards glance.

Wolves of Uzu

The Pack were waiting on the Bridge when Gaara received a hail. Karin's face appeared in a holo-image. Her cheeks looked flushed, as if she'd sprinted there, yet she didn't seem out of breath. "I'm outside. Come out with whatever portion of your crew you deem necessary." Then she cut the comm before any of them could respond.

"She was slapped. Hard enough to break blood vessels," Sakura noted astutely.

"Telekinetically, if her memories of her mother are accurate. Anko wouldn't bother to touch Karin with her own hands," Gaara noted.

Naruto frowned, a frown he carried even as he waved Kakashi and Shikamaru away. He went down the anti-grav tube and out the airlock, his Pack not far behind him. He noted absently that the air quality of Guren was excellent and filled with pine. But his focus was on Karin, standing there with her injured cheeks and standing with a shadow of the self-assured haughtiness he'd come to expect from her.

She eyed the eight of them with distaste. "Must you bring so many? My mother expects an audience with you, not your entourage."

Naruto ignored her, reaching out to cup her cheek and send out a wave of psionic energy.

Karin flinched away, before reaching up to feel her cheeks with trembling hands. She looked at Naruto like he were an enigma she had no hope of solving. "Why?" she asked.

"Whatever you did, you didn't deserve that. It offended me, so I fixed it. Now what prompted your mother to do that to you?" Naruto asked implacably.

Karin got a self-pitying smirk on her face. "Can't you just read my mind and find out?"

"I could, but I figure you've been violated enough today. Tell me, or don't. I just want to know the reason why I'm already mad at your mother," Naruto explained.

Karin blinked, and he thought he saw a hint of wetness before she blinked it away again. "That's none of your concern," she said, in a closer approximation of her usual hubris. "Follow me, my mother does not like to be kept waiting."

She led them out of the docking bay at a fast walk, her posture proud and erect as she glided ahead of them. Her long dress was a light cream colour, and hugged her shapely figure, as well as revealed tantalising glimpses of light blue flesh. Naruto couldn't help admiring her lovely body as they kept pace with her, and when he glanced Hinata's way, she grinned at him in amusement.

The docking bays at the spaceport seemed to be fairly quiet, with only a couple of armored guards standing at their posts. Unlike the ones at Geniya Space Station, who had ignored Naruto and the crew completely, the ones here on the Oto planet watched them intently. When Naruto followed Karin out into the main terminal complex, they saw several unarmored Oto women, who stopped what they were doing, and stared at Naruto and the Pack in open-mouthed amazement.

*Can't tell if this is the programmed response to Uzu or if they're just this shocked to see outsiders,* Sakura noted.

*I forgot to mention that in Oto culture, long hair is a sign of promiscuity and shame. They might be scandalized by your hairdos,* Gaara supplied belatedly.

They left the terminal, and Karin led them towards some kind of market square. An open air market was in full swing, with traders selling stands full of exotic looking fruits, vegetables, meats and fish. There were many more Oto women here, who all stopped to gape at them, as Naruto and the crew hurried after their uncommunicative guide.

Naruto darted a few glances at the Oto women as they passed them by, and they all seemed to be of a broadly similar physical appearance; fairly tall compared to a Konoha woman, with slim and graceful figures. They all wore their dark hair cut short, and long figure-hugging dresses seemed to be the current trend for Oto fashion in the city. There were a few young children accompanying their mothers around the market, and the group of little girls and a couple of small boys stopped the games they were playing, to watch the strange tourists excitedly.

Karin seemed to be in no mood to stop and chat, or point out the sights, and she strolled briskly straight across the market area, making a beeline for a flowing golden tower. She rushed them into a lobby area, startling a few Oto women as she breezed past them. Karin showed some kind of metallic disc to a beautiful blue-skinned woman behind a desk, and she ushered them through.

"Thank you," Naruto said to the woman politely. He flashed her a warm smile, and she looked surprised, then smiled back at him warily.

*They are hot, I'll give them that,* Hinata noted dryly. *What do you think? Want one for the collection?*

Naruto glanced at her with a smile on his lips, and trying not to laugh, he replied, *I think you might have a job convincing one of them to sign up with the Orochimaru.*

They followed Karin into a small bright room, and a clear crystal door rotated down from the ceiling. The floor flashed for a moment, and then began to descend, and Naruto smiled as he realised it was an elevator. The room stopped a moment later, and the moment the door spun upwards, Karin darted out. Naruto realised they were in some kind of underground parking facility, which had the capacity for a huge number of vehicles, but was only about a quarter full. Their ill-tempered Oto guide pressed the disc in her hand, and a glowing line lit up on the ceiling, which led directly to her vehicle. Karin strode over to the bright red sporty looking hover-car purposefully, and the bubble canopy opened smoothly and quietly.

"Get in," she told them brusquely, and she climbed into the vehicle, sitting in the front behind a semicircular steering wheel. "If you can fit," she added, eyeing the eight of them in smug victory.

They climbed into the seats at the back of the vehicle, sitting on each other's laps to save space, and Karin lowered the crystal canopy once they were safely inside. Seconds later, they glided swiftly and silently away, racing up a ramp towards the exit. Karin seemed to like driving at speed, and they shot out of the parking facility, and onto one of the broad roads. She seemed to know exactly where she was going, and took a number of rapid turns, taking them away from the Spaceport.

Naruto and the Pack watched silently out the windows, looking at the Oto as they went about their business. Now that the blue-skinned women weren't aware of their exotic visitors, it gave the lot of them an opportunity to see what the Oto were normally up to.

*I haven't seen a fat, skinny, or ugly Oto yet,* Sasuke marvelled. *The genetic modifications that Sakura mentioned must have been pretty comprehensive.*

Naruto nodded, having noticed no end of very attractive blue-skinned alien women himself, but something was nagging at him. *Have you noticed the way they walk?* he asked the Pack mind pointedly.

They turned and frowned at him, then replied *The way they walk? What do you mean?* through Tenten.

He noticed a group of three Oto women walking past them on the sidewalk and said, *See those three over there? They move like they're hunting someone. Constantly wary, looking out for danger.*

Hana nodded, seeing what he meant and replied, *Yes, or like they're being hunted...*

They drove along silently for a while longer, admiring the light and airy architecture of the city. Suddenly the piercing sound of an agonized scream reached them, even inside the moving vehicle. Naruto and the crew exchanged startled glances, but when they heard the blood-curdling shriek a second time, they scanned to the left of the hover-car where the horrible noise had originated from. A third heart wrenching cry filled the air, and they all spotted the source at the same instant.

An Oto woman was lashed to a golden metallic device that looked like some kind of stocks. Behind her, another blue-skinned woman raised back her arm, unravelling a long, flickering coil of a whip. She brought it down on the restrained woman's exposed back, and the prisoner contorted in agony, screaming out with the pain. A small crowd of Oto women watched disinterestedly, but no one seemed to particularly care, let alone raise a finger to stop it.

"Karin!" Naruto exclaimed sharply. "That woman's being tortured! What could she have possibly done to deserve that?" he asked disapprovingly.

His firm tone snapped her out of her distracted reverie, and she glanced to the left, looking up at a digital banner that sported several Oto sigils. She chuckled with amusement, and said, "She got caught stealing data from a government official, so she's serving fifty lashes with a neural whip."

Naruto looked disquieted and said, "You have public floggings for theft?"

Karin snorted with laughter and shook her head, "No, of course not! The fool's being whipped by her instructor, for being clumsy enough to get caught."

This proclamation was met with shocked surprise by the crew. After a long moment, Naruto asked her perceptively, "Have you ever received a similar punishment?"

The blue-skinned woman nodded, shrugging offhandedly as she replied, "Yes a couple of times, but I never made the same mistake again."

He glanced over at Hinata, who looked back at him grimly as her somber thoughts formed in his mind, *I'm starting to see how Karin grew into the charming woman she is today.*

They drove onwards, with the woman's intermittent screams receding behind them. Further sightseeing seemed to have lost its appeal.

It took another five minutes of driving in the fast and responsive hover-car to reach the palace. It was an imposing structure, set upon a small hill, that meant it overlooked the rest of the entirely flat city. The palace itself was tall and majestic, the design full of imposing arches, and flowing, graceful lines. It was surrounded by a defensive wall, the perimeter manned by dozens of guards in the small section around the main gate. The long weapon barrels of defensive laser emplacements were evenly placed around the wall, with clear crystal cupolas for the guards manning the gun turrets.

Karin drove up to the main entrance, which led under an arched gatehouse. She slowed the sporty hover-car to a halt, and one of the Oto guards walked over to meet her. The guard seemed to recognize her instantly, and with a quick nod, waved them through. Karin drove them around the back of the huge palace, and then turned abruptly and raced down a ramp leading to an underground parking facility. She found a parking spot near the elevators, and swung the vehicle into position and came to an abrupt halt, with the practiced ease of someone who had performed that same maneuver hundreds of times.

Without a word she opened the canopy and climbed out, and then strode away to the gilded entrances to the elevators. The golden armored guards there nodded to her respectfully when she stopped by the open crystal door, but Karin ignored them, and bridled with impatience as she waited for Naruto and the crew to catch up.

Karin ground her teeth with anger, and stormed into the elevator, tapping her foot while they took their time about walking in after her, nodding to the guards courteously. The crystal door spun down and the elevator started to rise, ascending silently through several levels. When the door opened upwards again, they followed closely behind Karin as she walked out without pause, and they found themselves in a broad hallway that led to a large foyer area.

Unlike the rest of the city, which seemed fairly sparsely populated, the palace complex seemed to be bustling. There were dozens of Oto women here, going about their business in the high vaulted hallway, and the sounds of numerous animated conversations filled the air. In-between the fluted columns that lined the hallway, long banners hung from the ceiling, showing a heart insignia covered by two crossed blades.

When they emerged from the elevator without warning, an Oto woman took a detour to avoid walking into them. She suddenly let out a shocked gasp when she saw the aliens in their midst, and she dropped the holographic scheduling device she had been holding in her hand. It clattered to the floor loudly, drawing glances from the dozens of other Oto walking through the hallway, and the sound of startled intakes of breath flowed across the room like a gust of wind.

There was deathly silence through the room, and Karin turned to the other eight and said impatiently, "Hurry up, we're nearly there."

They sauntered across the hallway after her, watched by dozens of sets of eyes, and Hinata thought to Naruto, *This is creeping me out! They're all staring at us like we're three headed-monsters or something.*

Naruto thought back to her, *If the men run the border stations, then most of these women have probably never seen anyone from a different species before. Having us just pitch up on their homeworld must be a hell of a shock.*

*Gaara and I certainly don't help matters,* Fu noted as she saw one Oto woman back away from her as if she were diseased.

They approached a reception desk at the end of the long hall that guarded the entrance to a series of elevators in a courtyard beyond. The staff at the reception desk glanced at Karin's stormy expression, and waved them through without pause, while watching the aliens with fascination. Karin led them into another elevator, which rose up through a dozen more levels, before the door opened to reveal a small, well furnished waiting area. Lilting music played through the room, and a slim and beautiful Oto woman sat behind a desk and watched them warily.

Naruto immediately noticed that there were several turreted weapons in the room, all pointing towards the door of the elevator. Karin didn't seem concerned in the slightest, and she breezed past the woman at the desk, and strode through some big double doors on the other side of the room.

On the other side was a small plaza area, with a clear crystal dome overhead letting in the bright light from the bluish-white sun. Karin led them across the small park in the center, complete with manicured lawns and delicate fountains, and towards their destination. All around this plaza were ornate entrances, to what must have been important locations, because the large doorways were all flanked by vigilant armored guards.

The imposing looking entrance directly opposite the way they came in, was much grander than the rest, with the insignia of House Guren embossed on the twenty-foot high doors. "These are my mother's private quarters," Karin told them brusquely, and she walked inside, ignoring the guards.

Naruto shared a glance with the Pack, feeling a strange mixture of curiosity and wariness, as they followed Karin into the suite beyond. After a short entrance hallway, was a large square room, covered by a clear crystal dome. A broad path led around the edge of the room, and in the center, down a couple of steps, were a number of chaise lounge style chairs clustered together around a low table.

Standing beside one of the chairs was a beautiful, elegant woman, who bore more than a striking resemblance to Karin. She was wearing a long purple gown, that clung alluringly to her shapely figure, and she wore a delicate diadem atop her head of short, dark hair. She looked up as they walked down the steps to approach her, and she smiled at them warmly in welcome.

Karin turned to Naruto and said, "May I introduce my mother, Matriarch Guren Anko."


	42. Chapter 42

"You must be Commodore Uzumaki Naruto," Anko said pleasantly. "My daughter has told me so much about you. It's wonderful to meet you at last."

Naruto grinned genially but his eyes were cold. "My dear Anko, I believe this will go so much more smoothly if we agree not to lie to each other."

Anko raised an elegant brow and tilted her head just so. "Whatever do you mean?"

"Fine, I'll start. I'm here because I want something. You're here because you want something. In your case, I'd bet good money that you want me to use my powers to cure that pesky inoperable tumor in your brain," Naruto said, boldy charging forward.

Karin gasped out loud. Anko's face froze, before settling into a cold, calculating mask that seemed much more natural on her face. "I see that you are much better informed than I expected. How did you know, if I may ask? You haven't broken through my mind-shield," she said with confidence.

Naruto shrugged. "Karin has one, and she's as much part of the Eldritch Bloodline as you are. Safe assumption that it's genetic. And I'll happily cure both of you, for a price of course."

Anko nodded, her tawny eyes blazing but her smile icy. "Then let us discuss business. Please, sit. I don't believe I've been introduced to your crewmates. Karin, make yourself useful and go get refreshment."

Karin reacted like a trained dog, turning to leave. Naruto sat down and named each of his crew as they sat down next to him or on adjacent benches. "Hyuuga Hinata, my XO. Uchiha Sasuke, my Chief of Staff. Inuzuka Hana, my Tactical Officer. Tenten, my Chief Engineer. Fu, my Pilot. Gaara, my Comms Officers. And Sakura, my Medical Officer. All adopted into the Uzu, with all the advantages that entails," Naruto added, figuring the more information he fed Anko the more interested she'd be and be less likely to psychically assault them.

"What are those, precisely? I'm afraid that I know pitifully little about your race beyond your psychic abilities," Anko asked, managing politeness while grinning like a shark on a leash.

"Immortality, chief among them. After that, enhanced bodies and brains. And of course, the psychic powers. All of them," Naruto added.

Anko's eyes flashed. "I thought we agreed not to lie to each other."

"We did. Is it the immortality that you don't believe? I'd happily hook myself to a lie-detector for your peace of mind, if you could provide one," Naruto said magnanimously.

Anko got a positively hungry look in her golden-brown eyes. "Truly, you are undying?"

"Well, we're unaging and able to regenerate at will. Death is still technically possible, but much harder for us to achieve than mortal species," Naruto clarified.

"How old are you, Commodore, if you don't mind my asking?" Anko pressed.

"I'm a very young Uzu, a mere 40 Konoha years," Naruto confessed. "I believe Orochimaru, the Uzu that ruled over the Oto until 10,000 years ago, lived to roughly 60,000."

Anko tilted her head. "Forgive me, you seem more aware of my people's history than I am."

"We know a lot," Naruto understated. At that moment, Karin returned with an anti-grav tray bearing a decanter of purple liquid and glasses. Naruto noted she hadn't brought one for herself, counting them. Tenten used Material Sight quickly and ran the chemical make-up of the liquid against Sakura's medical knowledge, before relaying their conclusions to Naruto via the Pack mind. "Unpoisoned wine. Should I be honored or insulted? From what I hear, this is a break from your usual tactics, Anko."

Anko waved a hand. "I have no desire to see you harmed. In fact, I want you in the best of health."

*Yeah, as her pet Uzu attack dog,* Kakashi supplied helpfully.

Naruto took a sip of the wine, which had the aroma of some alien fruit, and found it to be quite delicious. The others followed their leader's example, before Naruto spoke again. "So, there are two negotiations that need to take place. One is for the Oto Laser tech. The second is for your lives being saved from horrible migraines leading up to eventual death. Which would you like to start with?"

Anko's eyes flashed with greed. "Ah, yes, the Laser weaponry. As I'm sure you've gathered, it's a capital crime among the Oto to trade our technology."

"But being a Matriarch, and the most powerful one at that, you're in a position to make an exception," Naruto filled in the blanks.

"Indeed," Anko said with a proud smirk. "My house is quite wealthy, so no amount of ryo you offer would entice me. Favors, on the other hand, can be quite priceless."

"Who or what do we need to shake down, knock out, or blow up?" Naruto asked with a hint of humor.

Anko managed a chuckle. "I require your assistance with a delicate matter. Some months ago, I made a deal with the Iwa Ambassador, via agents working for me on Geniya Space Station. I paid him handsomely for schematics on the Iwa Engine technology, but he reneged on the deal after taking the initial down payment of half-a-billion ryo.

"My sources tell me that there is some... trouble, in Iwa space at the moment, so it's possible that the Ambassador has fallen foul of some mishap, rather than deliberately attempting to rob me. In any case, he has disappeared without a trace, along with my money." Anko frowned. "For reasons that should be quite apparent, I am unwilling to send an Oto vessel across Konoha space, just to investigate what happened with the Iwa. I therefore want you to acquire their Engine technology instead, and return it to me here at Guren. If you do so, I will refit your ship with Oto weaponry at no charge."

Naruto shrugged. "That last part is unnecessary. We just want the schematics, for academic curiosity. I have my Chief Engineer's word that our weaponry is superior to Oto equivalents, with perhaps the exception of your Nova Lances. But, sure, we'll get the Iwa Engine tech for you. And we'll swear to not release the Oto Laser technology to any other species."

Anko stopped to blink abruptly. "If… you already have better Lasers, why did you bother coming out here?"

"Tenten is fascinated with alien technology. I consider it a small goal to gift her examples from every species at some point," Naruto explained. Then he grinned winningly. "Though I will admit, my primary motivation was to get the chance to meet you, Anko."

Anko seemed to make a decision and suddenly adjusted her stance just slightly to appear sexier, pulling back her shoulders to show off her D-cup breasts. "Well, we've met. What's your opinion?" she asked with a charming smile that didn't reach her eyes.

Naruto returned the fake grin with a real one. "Since we're being honest, I find you to be a cruel, sadistic, abusive woman who would probably eat her own daughter to get what she wants. But I put most of that down to over a century of being twisted by Oto politics and the brain tumor affecting your mood swings and thinking. There's a good girl in there somewhere, and with enough time and energy, I'm sure we can bring her out."

Anko's eyes flashed with anger, glowing gold for a second. "Since we're being honest, I would normally have someone in a pain harness for at least a month for talking to me like that. But you're aware that I need you, and are taking full advantage of your position."

Naruto nodded. "Indeed I am. But I'm not trying to be cocky or rude. I genuinely want to make you a better person, someone that people would follow out of love and respect rather than fear."

"Fear and respect are the same thing in Oto society. And it is far more effective than love, we've found," Anko purred.

"Then you were doing it wrong," Naruto said boldly. "But enough. We've finished one negotiation: the Lasers for the Engines. We'll leave for Iwa space with all haste after this meeting. Now, shall we discuss the price for saving your life and that of your daughter?"

Karin gulped and rubbed her head; she'd clearly not known about the cancer. Anko leaned forward eagerly, eyes alight with desperate desire. "Name your price, Uzu."

Naruto took encouragement from his Pack and launched his crazy gambit. "I have three offers, in increasing order of cost. The first is that we simply heal you both right here right now. In exchange, when we return to deliver the Engine tech, you grant us safe passage back to Geniya Station. You never have to see us again, and you're free to live life however you want."

Anko nodded. "Fair enough. And the next offer?"

"We heal you right here right now, and when we deliver the Iwa Engine tech, we also deliver improved tech for Shields, Power Cores, and Tachyon Drives. Your fleet will gain a major advantage over those of the other Houses. In exchange, we get unlimited access to all House Guren space and we can dock at and use Genthalas whenever we desire."

Anko's eyes gleamed with avarice. "Quite tempting. I'm quite curious as to what the third offer is."

Naruto took a breath.. "Option three, I heal you, and in exchange I will make you Queen of the Oto. But I'll be your King."

Karin's jaw dropped, whereas Anko's gaze had turned more calculating than a computer. "Explain," she prompted.

"I'll adopt you into the Uzu, and grant you Uzu level technology. You'll effectively gain all the time in the world and much improved means to conquer every other House, hopefully with minimal casualties but sometimes you need to break a few eggs to make an omelette. You'll effectively rule over all Oto space as the undisputed leader. The catch is, being adopted as an Uzu involves forging an Astral Bond with me. I'm sure you know how binding and intimate those are. I'm not saying I'll be co-ruler beside you; in all honesty, I prefer a life of wandering around the galaxy to a throne. But I'll be there, in your head and heart, the entire time you're wearing the crown, from now until eternity," Naruto said solemnly.

Anko leaned back in her chair, reaching for her glass to take a big gulp of wine. "You expect me to believe you have Astral Bonds with all these men and women?" Anko asked.

Naruto shrugged. "Spirit-Walk or use Psychic Sight to see for yourself. I warn you, we've been described as 'blinding' by an Umi."

The Pack watched as a spectral version of Anko slid out of her body. She gaped, her eyes flickering between the stunning brightness of their Astral Forms, the impenetrables shields shaped like crowns and diadems on their heads, and the pulsing rivers of energy and thought that linked each of them to each of the others. She noted one Bond running from Naruto off into the distance, and grew paranoid that he had an ally waiting in the wings. She returned to her body and asked pointedly "So, your 'entire' crew is here?"

"Kakashi isn't fully converted into an Uzu, yet. As the most vulnerable, he elected to stay with the ship rather than venture into the heart of your influence," Naruto told her, sticking to total honesty as he'd promised.

Anko considered her options quickly. "As all three of your offers involve my immediate healing, why don't we just get that out of the way? I will consider your proposals and get back to you when you return with the Iwa Engines schematics."

Naruto held out his hands magnanimously. "Very well. But be aware that after fulfilling my end, I'll expect you to uphold your end of the deal."

"Of course, of course," Anko said in a way that made it clear she had no intention of fulfilling her end of any deal. But Naruto had factored the possibility of betrayal when he'd made his offer.

"Sakura is our Doctor, she's the most gifted with Psychic Healing. She'll handle the procedure for both you and Karin," Naruto said, waving his pinkette crewmate forward.

Sakura peered at both Oto women with X-Ray Vision. "You may experience a brief headache, and dehydration. I'm not just removing the tumor, I'm altering your DNA so it doesn't form again. If this is objectionable to you, please tell me now."

Anko waved a dismissive hand. "Just do it," she all but demanded, clinging to propriety by a thread.

Karin looked hesitant but at her mother's bark nodded obediently.

Sakura held out one hand towards Karin and one towards Anko. She concentrated, and psionic energy thick enough to be a visible shimmer emitted from her hands towards their heads. They both moaned as sweet, cool relief to a hot pain they'd become so used to they learned to ignore it swept over them. Sakura used about half her energy reserves, and at the end both women were in permanent remission. Sakura nodded to her patients and then returned to the embrace of her crewmates.

Anko sat up, a grin of utter triumph on her face. "You have earned my gratitude this day, Commodore Uzumaki. And that is not a gift I grant lightly."

"I'm sure it isn't. So, anything else you want to discuss before we leave for Iwa?" Naruto asked.

"To ensure that you uphold your end of the bargain, I wish to send an observer with you. As proof of my commitment to this transaction, I will send my only daughter, Karin, to accompany you and assist with the retrieval," Anko said without any hesitation.

Karin let out a shocked gasp, but one look at her mother had her cowed.

"As you are no doubt aware, Karin can be a little high spirited. She is extremely gifted at hacking however, one of our best and brightest. She will prove to be a valuable asset in tracking down, and acquiring the Iwa Engine technology. Simply having her hack an Iwa data node will provide you many answers, unless you already have someone aboard your vessel with that skillset?" Anko prompted.

Naruto turned to his Pack. None of them liked the idea, but it had a certain cold logical sense. "Very well. We'll host Karin on the Invictus until this mission with the Iwa is concluded. I hope you understand that we have other prior engagements that may take precedence, but be assured we'll be back within a month, two at most."

Anko's eyes flashed golden with anger but she maintained a cordial smile. "Very well. We have a deal. And I will consider which of your three proposals to choose with the gravest of consideration."

Naruto and Anko shook hands to seal the deal, and he couldn't help but notice how smooth her blue skin was. Then Karin was sent to gather her luggage before guiding them back out of the palace to the Spaceport.

As journeys usually do, the trip back home to the Invictus seemed to be much faster than the ride to the palace. Karin, clad back in her golden armor and several cases floating behind her, was sullen and pensive the whole ride back to the garage where she kept her hover-car. Then it was another trip through the market like some kind of circus, drawing the eye of every Oto they passed. Finally they arrived at the spaceport and the docking bay for the Invictus.

Karin waited until they were in the airlock before she spoke. "Why did you insist on healing me as well as my mother?" she demanded of Naruto.

Naruto turned to her. "Well, I was hardly going to let you die of cancer if I could do something to stop it."

"Drop the nice guy act. What angle are you working? Were you hoping it would get me into bed with you, because I assure you that's never happening!" Karin snarled.

Naruto held up his hands. "It's not an act. I really am a nice guy. Sometimes even when it's against my own good."

"You expect me to believe you have unimaginable power and you're benevolent?" Karin asked incredulously.

"I'm aware that in your culture the nice are weak and the cruel are strong. But it doesn't work that way everywhere else in the Universe. I was born with a certain amount of power, which I've carefully cultivated and grown, but I never forgot the lessons of my youth to be a good person. Accept that or don't, it really doesn't matter to me what you think of me," Naruto said directly.

Karin seemed at a loss, before she regained her haughty demeanor. "Where's my room?"

"You can stay on Deck 2 with the rest of us, where the rooms are slightly bigger, or you can stay on Deck 4, where you'll have more privacy," Naruto explained.

"Deck 4," she said without hesitation.

Naruto nodded and led her to the anti-grav tube, the Pack going on ahead. "Blue goes up, red goes down. Each floor is marked with a number," Naruto gave a quick refresher to the lesson he'd given her when she'd first boarded the Invictus.

"I remember," she snapped before walking into the blue tube, her luggage obediently following her. Naruto sighed. It would be a LONG few weeks with Karin aboard. He shrugged and stepped into the tube himself after the last suitcase. He stepped out onto the floor of the Marine Quarters to see Karin looking around appraisingly.

"Take your pick of any of the rooms," Naruto said generously. "We aren't using any of them, so use more than one if you need more space."

He picked a room at random, and strolled inside, then gave her a quick run-through of all the amenities in the quarters. Karin sniffed with disdain when she surveyed the room, trying to find fault with it. It was spotlessly clean, without a speck of dust in sight, and was functional if not particularly aesthetically pleasing. She couldn't really complain about the utilitarian quarters, and it would prove more than adequate for the several weeks she would need to be aboard the ship.

She curled her lip with disgust and replied, "Fine, I'll stay in this hovel, if it's the best this crate can offer."

"Actually, the best is two floors up, but you wanted privacy," Naruto reminded her pointedly. Then he tried to be mindful and let her surliness glide off his mind like teflon. "The ship's chronometers are set to twenty-four hour Konoha standard time. We tend to eat meals at 0900, 1300, and 1900, but it varies a fair bit. You're welcome to join us for them, or you can eat here on Deck Four in the ship's Galley."

Karin glanced at him and asked, "Are we leaving immediately? I want this over and done with as quickly as possible."

Naruto leaned against the doorframe into the quarters, and asked her, "We can leave right away, but are we going to be escorted back across Oto Space again?"

She shook her head and said, "Our patrol ships have been made aware of the nature of your vessel, and my presence aboard. We will be able to leave unhindered."

Naruto looked distracted for a moment, then nodded with satisfaction. "We'll be departing in moments," he said confidently.

"How long until we reach Iwa space?" Karin asked him impatiently.

Naruto paused for a moment, looking away distantly, then replied, "Eleven days of travel time in total. Four days until we reach Geniya Space Station, four more to reach the Core Worlds, as we have business there. Then it will take three more days to get to Iwa space. Our business might take a few days to resolve, so there might be a small delay."

Karin managed to stifle a gasp, expertly masking her shock. His ship was fifty percent faster than anything the Oto had! To try and distract him from watching her expression too closely, she snapped imperiously, "I never authorized any detours. I demand we go straight to Iwa space!"

"I warned your mother we had other engagements, and she didn't pitch a fit. Besides, this is my ship. It goes where I say, when I say," Naruto said decidedly.

She turned away, and pretended to focus intently on her luggage. Taking the hint, Naruto left the room, so Karin darted over to the door, closing it behind him. When it was sealed, she breathed a sigh of relief, and then turned back to her belongings.

The first thing she unpacked was an electrical pulse detector, and she clipped the red-hued curved crystal visor over her eyes. She did a quick sweep of the room, and immediately spotted several audio and visual snooping devices, as she suspected she would. Removing the visor, she replaced it in her case, and then took out a holo-pad that she hooked up to her right vambrace.

It took her just under five minutes to create a convincing audio and video loop, which she could feed to the cameras, concealing what she was really up to. She engaged the program, which linked into the video and audio feeds of the devices in her room. It showed her removing her armor, climbing into bed, and then falling asleep. The program then called a looped subroutine that cycled a sequence of her sleeping on the bed, her chest rising and falling as she supposedly slept peacefully.

Once that was out the way, she set up the remote hacking portal, and hooked it up to her right vambrace. She removed the piece of armor from her arm, and set it aside carefully, then stripped off the rest of her armor. When she had changed from her form-fitting combat jumpsuit, and into a long, figure-hugging dress, she sat down again on the bed to check on the hacking portal's progress.

The firewall protecting their ship was crudely effective, she grudgingly admitted, but breaking through that would only take her a few more minutes that she had originally anticipated. She got to work, and eight minutes later she was in, their data network laid bare. She glanced through the summary of the Invictus' network and systems, eagerly searching for anything particularly juicy. She swore animatedly when she realized there was no research or schematics drive. What did they do, have them all memorized?

She was about to give up any hope of finding anything useful, when she noticed a fully intact camera footage database archive. Eyeing it hungrily, she rapidly tapped away commands, and a broad grin spread across her face when she realised it was fully intact. Karin turned her attention back to her vambrace, and pressed several more buttons, triggering the extremely powerful computer system stored within.

There was a hazy glow that appeared above the vambrace, and then tiny glowing purple blocks began to appear, swirling slightly before clustering together. They stacked rapidly as they formed a digitised representation of a four inch tall, androgynous purple-skinned sprite. It stood silently, its eyes tightly closed, as it finished booting up.

"Hello there," Karin said softly to the tiny digital creature.

It opened its big luminous eyes a moment later, and after it blinked, the diminutive creature flickered, and then took on a female appearance.

"Are you my Creator?" The minute sylph-like creature asked in wonder, its wide eyes trusting and innocent.

Karin nodded, smiling at it warmly as she replied, "That's right, little one. Would you like to help me with a task?"

The pocket-sized electronic sprite nodded eagerly and said, "I'd love to help you! What would you like me to do?"

Karin explained a detailed set of criteria, then sent the digital construct on its way. It scampered off joyfully, darting through the hacking portal, and infiltrating the security camera archives. Karin knew full well that you always had to handle AIs delicately, but when they were born, they were just like children; naive, trusting, and so easy to deceive and exploit.

"Well, that was interesting," a voice said from the speakers in the room. Karin jumped, not recognizing the voice of any of Naruto's crew members. "You fell for our false network just like we planned, but you having an AI generator was completely unexpected. Guess now we know the secret to your hacking prowess."

"Who are you?" Karin demanded, refusing to show the fear coursing through her system.

"Shikamaru, Ship Assistant, and a far more mature and powerful AI than the little piglet you just sent into a digital prison. I've already alerted Naruto and the crew. They should be on their way to confiscate your device any minute now," the voice said smugly.

Karin felt dread fill her heart. She'd been played, and played masterfully. And now she was going to lose her biggest tool and advantage. The door swooshed open, and Naruto walked in, face set in stone. Karin opened her mouth to spout some excuse, when he waved his hand and she was suddenly held up by invisible ropes against the wall. Her heart stuttered, recognizing the same power her mother used so effectively. Naruto found the hacking portal and detached it from her vambrace. He took it in hand and walked out the room, pausing at the doorway. He turned and gave a grim smile. "You're still invited to dinner, if you're not too busy hacking," he said unironically, and then he left. When the door closed, the psionic energy holding her prisoner dissipated. Karin crawled into the bed and curled into a ball, reminded of exactly what kind of creatures she was sharing a ship with.

Meanwhile, Naruto had taken the Uzu Mobile Computer straight to the Engineering Bay for Tenten to go nuts with. He walked in and saw her having a conversation with Shikamaru, the nude purple male crouched on the central podium looking over some holograms alongside his Creator. "This must have been a birthday present from Tayuya to Karin. It's Uzu origin," Naruto said, handing it over to a grabby-handed Tenten. As Tenten eagerly poked and prodded her new toy, he turned to Shikamaru. "What are we going to do about Karin's AI? Won't it be loyal to her as her Creator?"

Shikamaru shrugged. "This little piglet is just a child. Their loyalties are negotiable, given the right influence. At the moment, she's in a sensory deprivation tank, wondering what went wrong."

Naruto nodded. "I'd like to talk to her," he stated firmly.

Shikamaru shrugged and snapped. A four-inch high fairy-like creature appeared in front of Naruto. She looked up at him with big, trusting eyes. "Who are you?" She asked innocently.

"My name is Naruto. It was my computer you were trying to hack. I had my friend Shikamaru stop you," Naruto said kindly, waving a hand at the life-size purple holographic man.

The small AI looked up at Shikamaru with awe. "Wow. He's big."

"Well, I'm running on a much bigger Mainframe than the one that made you," Shikamaru said casually, as if she were a newborn cub the head of the pride was pretending to ignore.

"What's your name?" Naruto asked the little sprite.

She tilted her head. "My Creator didn't give me one. Are you going to hurt my Creator?" She asked fearfully.

"I won't touch her," Naruto vowed, conveniently leaving the loophole of psychic powers. "We planned for her to do what she did and we handled it. She's no longer a threat, and won't be treated as such."

The pixie let out a sigh of relief. "You're a nice guy, Naruto," she said brightly.

"Thank you. Now, since your Creator didn't give you a name, would you mind if I do? Or you could pick one for yourself if you want," Naruto offered generously.

The tiny AI tilted her head with a cute pout. "I'd like you to give me one," she finally said.

Naruto searched his mind, and for some reason Shikamaru's nickname of "little piglet" popped into his head. "Ino. Your name is Ino," Naruto declared.

She flew up into the air and did a little flip. "Yay! I like my new name!" She said, filled with joy. She paused. "What's going to happen to me? I can't complete my mission, because Mr Shikamaru won't let me," she said in a defeated tone.

"That's up to you. You can do whatever you want. If you like, you can join my crew," Naruto offered.

Ino blinked up at him. "What would I do on your crew?" She asked uncertainly.

"Well, you wanted to get into our cameras before Shikamaru stopped you. You could be the Watch Commander. It would be your job to watch all the cameras and sensors and make sure no one sneaks up on us," Naruto said excitedly, trying to encourage her.

Ino fluttered her wings. "Will my Creator be mad if I joined your crew?" She asked, hesitant to disobey the woman who gave her life, in a very real way her mother.

"To be honest, I think that she thinks we killed you. If she does find out you're working with us, she might be a little upset. But it's your life to live, not hers," Naruto asserted.

Ino seemed to quibble for a moment, but she'd spent more time bonding with Naruto than Karin by this point. "Okay, Naruto. I'll be your Watch Commander!"

"Okay! Glad to have you, Ino. Shikamaru, clear enough memory for one self and allocate it to her. Let her grow up into a real person," Naruto commanded.

Shikamaru sighed. "Troublesome. But sure. Here, little piglet, you get to move into the big boy computer," he said, manipulating his Mainframe with a thought.

Ino shimmered into a cluster of cubes, which then grew to the size of a person. When they reassembled into a recognizable form, Ino had a Thrall body, though she still kept the wings, and her hair was held up in a high ponytail. She blinked repeatedly. "Wow. I was just a child a second ago. Going through puberty in a few microseconds is a real trip."

Shikamaru was suddenly eyeing her much more appreciatively. "Looking forward to working with you Ino," he said, holding out a hand.

She took it to shake and gasped. "I can feel! Wow, your Mainframe must be huge!"

"I've heard good things about it," he understated.

"I'd love to see it up close and personal!" Ino said with the same child-like innocence of her prior form.

"I'll see what I can do," Shikamaru said with a filthy grin.

Feeling like he was interrupting foreplay, Naruto coughed. "Ino, why don't you go start watching all the cameras? I'd pay special attention to Karin, if I were you."

"Okay! Can I talk to her?" Ino asked eagerly.

"She's just had a bit of a shock, I'd wait until we reintroduce you two tomorrow," Naruto said delicately.

Ino frowned. "Okay. Well, off to do my new job!" And with that, her hologram vanished.

"At least wait for Tenten to build her her own Mainframe before you fuck her, please," Naruto begged. "I don't feel comfortable with you touching her while she's renting out space in your brain. It feels… icky."

"Fine, I'll stay a virgin until she has her own brain," Shikamaru grumbled.

"Like you and your other selves haven't had Shikamaru orgies when we're asleep," Tenten said with a snort.

"That is not sex. That is a higher form of masturbation," Shikamaru defined.

They rolled their eyes. Only Shikamaru.


	43. Chapter 43

Karin was still curled up on her new bed. She still remembered the casual way Naruto had thrown her against the wall and held her there with telekinetic force before stealing the hacking portal Tayuya had given her as proof the Uzu existed. She hadn't been listening to her idiot sister at the time, but realizing it could produce an AI on command made her interested in the device. Somehow, she hadn't thought it through that if the Uzu could make AI, Uzumaki Naruto might have one on his ship. It was a terrible lapse in judgement, which had cost her her greatest tool.

There was a knock on the door. "Karin?" Asked one of those long-haired whores on the Uzu's crew, supposedly Uzu themselves after being adopted by Naruto. "It's dinner time. Would you like to join us, or cook something for yourself?"

At first, Karin was going to ignore her or yell something rude. But saner thoughts prevailed. "Give me a few minutes," she called out. Yes, a little scouting mission to feel out the enemy might be a nice little break from her pity party, she thought to herself, and rose from the bed.

After having a quick shower, and changing into a long black dress with various revealing slashes down the sides, she took a glance in the mirror to check her appearance. Her short dark hair was artfully styled, revealing the pointed tips of her light blue ears. She smirked when she recalled how the Uzu women all wore their hair long. Didn't they know that to do so signified a woman as being a wanton slut? She chuckled with amusement at the shocked looks their appearance had raised amongst the Oto back on Guren.

She deftly applied some cosmetics that accentuated her angular violet eyes, and she beamed a sparkling smile at herself, satisfied that she looked absolutely gorgeous. Karin paused for a moment, wondering why she was going to so much effort on her appearance, but she shrugged, and saw it as an opportunity to make Naruto's women feel jealous of her spectacular good looks.

Karin retrieved a golden metallic star-shaped device from her case, and then glided out the door, shutting it behind her. As soon as the door had swished closed, she placed the device against the doorframe, holding it in place as it began to hum quietly. The center section lifted up and rotated through an entire rotation, before sinking slowly back into place. With a solid click, the magnetic lock was securely in place, and nothing would be able to get into her room without her permission. She smiled to herself, and then strode away to join the others for dinner.

She used the anti-grav tube, which she would grudgingly admit was an inspired replacement for elevators, to Deck 2. She heard all the noise coming from her left, and went towards the double doors set in that wall. They opened before she touched the button and she quickly glanced for a camera or sensor or something that would explain the phenomenon. Then she remembered they had a trained AI serving them. Holding her head high, she walked into the Officer's Lounge.

The crew were all seated, including the traitor Kakashi. Conversation paused when she came into the room and they all turned to look at her. She noticed that most of their looks were carefully blank, though Kakashi had a hint of fear and Naruto seemed more amused by her presence than anything. "Welcome to dinner, Karin. Tonight we're having Lamb Tagine. Your place is at the foot of the table," he pointed out. "Would you like something besides water to drink?"

There was something so off-putting about this man. Perhaps the way he genuinely didn't see her as a threat, perhaps his incessant need to be polite even to a known enemy, perhaps the fact that, based on every iota of information she had on the man, it wasn't an act. He really was some kind of living, breathing hero who always did the 'right' thing. Karin took her seat and said "I'm unfamiliar with the alcoholic beverages of the Konoha or the Uzu. What would you recommend?"

"You seem like a champagne kind of girl. A Sea Breeze Mimosa ought to please your palate." So saying, the man left his seat and went to the bar to mix her drink himself. The others kept eating as if this were a perfectly ordinary gesture. Karin fought to keep her jaw from dropping. Why would the leader do something he could easily delegate a servant or inferior to do? For something to do, she pierced a portion with her fork and lifted it to her lips. She had to fight herself to keep from moaning. The lamb was perfectly cooked and seasoned, and mixed with some kind of fruit and nut mixture that proved quite pleasing to the tongue.

Naruto was at her side then, holding out a crystal flute filled with a clearish-pink liquid with fizzy bubbles. "My compliments to your chef," Karin said, remembering the etiquette lessons she'd gotten as a small child before the 'real' lessons started.

"Thanks. I work hard to make sure my crew are well fed," Naruto said with a beaming grin. Karin was all but struck dumb by how handsome he was in that moment. Then she chastised herself for such foolish thinking. This was the same man who hours ago had chained her against the wall with nothing but his mind. She took a sip of the drink and found it to be sweet and tart with just the right bite of alcohol. He'd indeed pegged her correctly. Of course, he was psychic, as apparently were his entire crew. Except for the cretin Kakashi, he was still going through the adoption process, she'd gathered.

"So, Kakashi," Karin purred, "It was such a surprise to see you had joined Commodore Uzumaki's crew. Was this the 'business' you two had discussed that day he first came to Geniya?" The time when the office cameras had all glitched or, in retrospect, been tampered with to have no audio, so Karin couldn't listen in.

Kakashi, who seemed to have miraculously gained 30 pounds of muscle and 2 inches in height she noticed, nodded with just a hint of hunched shoulders. "Naruto explained to me about the Uzu and offered me a place in his family. I accepted. I've been living on the Invictus since."

Family, is that how they thought of this little circus? Karin scoffed mentally at the idea, even as her long-thought dead heart gave a little throb of longing. "What about your business?" Karin asked, as if just making dinner conversation.

"Sold off in pieces to the highest bidders available on a moment's notice. I wound up making a profit of over 4 billion ryo. Combined with Naruto's existing assets, the crew now possesses in excess of 10 billion ryo," the white-haired Oto male said with pride.

Even to Karin, that was a substantial chunk of change. "I see. Any plans for all that money, Naruto?" Karin asked, looking down the length of the table.

"Make more of it, then give it away," Naruto said without missing a beat. "Well, everything but what we need to care for our growing family, now and in the future," Naruto said with a paternal smile, getting sighs of longing from every member of his crew.

Karin blinked. "Philanthropy? Really? You actually care about starving orphans on some backwater planet somewhere you'll never see or go?"

Naruto raised a challenging eyebrow. "You don't?" he asked rhetorically.

Karin bit her lip, feeling like she'd lost this verbal spar. Would she ever win with this infuriating man?! Karin turned her head down and focused on her meal. The sound of forks and knives on plates filled the air, the crew apparently not feeling the need to make conversation. At least out loud, as Karin reminded herself. For all she knew, there was an epic debate going on that she was simply not party to. She finished her portion of this Lamb Tagine, finished off her Sea Breeze Mimosa, and stood up to leave. She walked up to the doors, not jumping when they opened for her, and then they closed behind her.

There was a collective sigh of relief when she left the room, and everyone relaxed again afterwards, apart from Sakura. She immediately rose from her chair, and walked over to where Karin had been seated. Leaning over the table, her eyes gleaming acquisitively, she carefully picked up the glass that Karin had used by its base.

"And one Oto female of the Eldritch Bloodline's DNA acquired," she said with triumph, wrapping her prize in a napkin. "I'll get this straight to the DNA scanner in the Medical Bay after dinner. So, now that we can talk, am I the only one that noticed that EVERY Oto female had the same general body type?"

"It's always been that way. No one knew why, until you lot came along," Kakashi said.

"It's been hundreds of generations, and the genetic modifications that Orochimaru made are still so strong," Fu marveled, herself an example of Orochimaru's genetic mastery.

Gaara nodded. "The Konoha truly must have been an experiment in genetic diversity over dozens of generations. A change of pace from the engineered sameness of the Oto and Suna."

Sasuke shivered. "Still blows my mind that my birth species was the experiment of a bored alien's mind. He must have placed Nexus somewhere close by to collect the data, which the K-Fed eventually found and started mangling."

"Who's Nexus?" Ino asked, speaking up for the first time that evening. The rest of the crew were finding themselves quite taken with the bubbly fairy-like AI. "My Creator went straight to her room, by the way," she reported, acting in her role as Watch Commander.

Naruto nodded. "Thank you, Ino. And Nexus is, or should I say was, Orochimaru's AI the way you and Shikamaru are my AI. The K-Fed, we strongly believe, found his Mainframe and took it apart to try and reverse-engineer it. They always do a bad job and the AIs they create are homicidal in the extreme. We had a run in with a Nexus-piloted ship a few weeks ago."

Ino reviewed the footage archives until she found the relevant scene. She shivered. "That AI wasn't very nice. Who would want to kill their Creators?"

"Very sick and twisted people, that's who," Shikamaru told her gently.

The crew finished up their dinner and settled in for a drink. Kakashi unbuckled Naruto's pants and casually took his full length into the snug embrace of his throat. Naruto sighed as he sipped his sake and enjoyed the attentions of his newest lover. "So, we're going for Lee before we go to New Eden, right?" Naruto asked to confirm.

Hinata nodded. "He's on Kodiak in the Alpha Ursae Majoris system. It's slightly closer to Oto space than New Eden in the Procyon system. We'll pick him up in about six days, and make it to New Eden by this time next week. From there, depends on how big a detour it takes to track down Sakura's mother's killers. Then onward to Iwa space."

Hana raised a hand. "So, how exactly are we going to seduce Karin onto the crew? She seems half-terrified half-fascinated by you," she noted.

"By focusing on the 'fascinated' part. I just make her the same offer I made Anko, and play on her desire for power and to belong," Naruto groaned around a rather hard suck from Kakashi.

"She may take weeks to crunch on it, though, she seems so torn," Tenten mused.

"It'll work itself out," Naruto said confidently, before his eyes screwed up and he released down Kakashi's throat.

"Been waiting for that since breakfast," Kakashi grumbled.

They enjoyed their drinks and the view of the passing stars and nebulae from the window, before making for their Quarters, Sakura making a detour to Deck 7. They all got cleaned off in the shower and then settled into bed, exhausted by the draining meeting with Anko and the walk through the city both ways.

The next day started with an orgasm, Kakashi dutifully waking up for his self-appointed duty as an alarm clock. They all woke up and settled into the morning meeting routine.

"I'm ready to show off my skills, if everyone would like to see now. If you want breakfast first, I understand," Fu said nonchalantly.

The crew were all instantly curious, the Nymph having concealed her practice from the Pack mind as she'd worked on it the last week. They all got dressed in casual clothes and followed a delightfully nude Fu down to the Cargo Bay.

Crouching on the floor, she smiled at them, then closed her eyes, taking a big breath. Her body seemed to shimmer briefly, and then before their astonished eyes, she changed into a large, eight limbed octopus, complete with bulbous head, and eight long tentacles covered in dozens of suckers. She raised one of her mottled green limbs, and waved it at them in a friendly fashion, before her body shimmered again, and she gathered her long tentacles into her body.

When the shimmering faded away this time, she had changed into a snake, covered in dark green scales. She uncoiled herself, before slithering across the floor towards them. Fully extended she looked to be about five feet long.

"You're only about half your normal body size!" Naruto remarked in surprise.

*Yep! By squashing myself down, I can make forms that are about half my size,* Fu reported happily.

They watched spellbound as she moved languidly over the deck in a smooth, oscillating motion, and approached one of the maintenance gantries. Shimmering again, she changed into a three-foot-tall, green furred monkey, and ignoring the staircase, she clambered up the side of the maintenance gantry with quick movements of her agile little paws. When she reached the top, she dashed along the railing, balancing herself perfectly, and they let out a collective gasp as she leapt through the air, and deftly caught hold of one of the loading arms that hung from the ceiling.

Naruto shook his head in wonder, as she wrapped her tail around the robotic arm, and then let go, swinging upside down and waving at them cheerily. She then swung back up to the arm, and climbed up it deftly, until she reached the ceiling where she paused. Disappearing in a green haze once again, her form folded out, and a sinister looking, dark green spider took the place of the cute little monkey.

Sakura squeaked and covered her eyes. "Let me know when she's changed forms!" she cried out.

Tenten nudged her friend and Sapphic partner. "I didn't know you were afraid of spiders."

"I can't stand them!"

Tenten nodded, and they all looked up to watch Fu skitter upside down across the ceiling. She made quick and steady progress until she had returned to the center of the room, and then spun a thread of spider silk which she anchored to the ceiling, before dropping rapidly to the floor. Landing on her eight legs, the green spider paused for a moment, and then began to blur once more. The shimmering shape grew larger and larger until it solidified into a huge, leathery skinned, four-legged creature with two large horns.

There were collective gasps at the size of this huge creature, while Hinata, Tenten, Gaara, and Kakashi looked at Fu's new form with wide eyes, having no idea what it was. "That's called a rhino," Sakura explained helpfully, looking up when she realised Fu was no longer a spider.

Fu turned to stare at them with her small beady eyes set in her huge head, and her ears flickered towards them as she began to paw at the ground angrily. She suddenly charged towards them, the long horn lowered, and ready to impale her audience. Everyone looked at her in alarm, and she shimmered again, turning into her tiger shape mid-charge, before letting out a spine-chilling roar, and leaping into the air towards Naruto. Just as she was about to pounce on him, she shifted into her Nymph shape, and he reacted quickly, catching her as she landed in his arms.

She planted a big kiss on his lips, and then asked playfully, "Did you enjoy the show?"

His eyes were wide with shock, and he laughed in amazement, before he replied, "I didn't expect it to have such a terrifying ending, but that was an incredible performance!"

The crew nodded and crowded around them, congratulating the Nymph, and saying how impressed they were with her amazing talents. She beamed at them in delight, and when Naruto set her down on her feet, she did a little bow.

"Thanks guys," she said gratefully. "I'm really glad you enjoyed it."

Hana said in awe, "That rhino was enormous! How heavy was it exactly?"

Fu paused for a moment thinking it over, and then said, "Nearly two tons. That's the biggest form I've changed into so far."

"How can a sleek and sexy little Nymph turn into something so huge?" Sasuke wondered aloud.

Sakura coughed to get everyone's attention. "It's built into her DNA. Her whole kind are designed to work with the Shapeshifting power, normally a top-tier ability for ordinary psychics, as easily as breathing. Normally, it's restricted to turning into the ideal woman of an imprinted male. But what Fu has done is weaponize it, letting her shift density and form like her cells were programmable matter! Essentially, as long as she has the energy to create or reduce her weight and mass, she can take any shape that doesn't compromise her heart crystal."

"So she could change into a giant if she wanted?" Naruto asked to clarify.

Sakura and Fu shared a secret chuckle. "No, Alpha, at least not yet. Practice has just let her take on new forms faster. Her energy stores are dependent upon you. Or rather, how often you feed her," the Medical Officer explained.

Naruto nodded and grinned, rubbing the back of his hand over Fu's taut midsection. "As soon as I'm done with Kakashi, you're getting some extra attention. You just might be our secret weapon!"

Fu grinned up at him with doe-eyes. The crew soaked in the intimate moment before it passed and rumbling tummies got the better of them.

"Breakfast time! Who's volunteering to get Karin?" Naruto asked.

Kakashi, surprisingly, raised his hand. "I will. I need to stop jumping every time I see her, and besides, she's a guest in MY home. Same as back on Geniya. She's the one who should be wary of me!"

"And the bloated belly?" Gaara prompted his fellow alien male.

"I'll tell the truth, that Naruto cums a lot. I won't mention that it's part of the adoption process!" Kakashi laughed off.

The crew left Kakashi to his task and got to Deck 2 and the Officer's Lounge. Naruto made a standard English Breakfast for ten, assisted by his well-trained sous chefs, and they set the table for the Pack and Karin. Karin walked in alongside Kakashi, a wide-eyed look seemingly stuck on her face. Naruto grinned genially at their guest. "Morning, Karin. We've prepared a traditional Konoha breakfast today. If you don't like it, we can try an Oto recipe tomorrow."

Karin looked at him incredulously. "You… you had sex with Kakashi?" she blurted out.

"Yes, I did. I have sex with every member of my Pack. When I said I consider my crew my family, I meant as spouses, not brothers and sisters," Naruto clarified. "Uzu are naturally polyamorous, so it's just normal to me."

"So… If my mother accepts your third offer…" she trailed off, apparently unable to voice the thought.

"I become your step-father? Only if she wants. After the process of adopting her is complete, we don't have to say two words to each other." Naruto gestured her towards the foot of the table. "Now, breakfast?"

Karin eyed all of them like they were exotic animals set to pounce the entire meal. When they all finished, Naruto stood up and went to her side. "I'd like to introduce you to two members of my crew that don't have any bodies. If you would follow me to the Bridge?"

Karin gathered herself and followed after Naruto, though she was careful to keep at least three feet of distance between them at all times. They went up the anti-grav tube one more level, stepping out onto the Bridge of the Invictus. Shikamaru and Ino were already waiting there, having even put on clothes for the occasion. Just shorts for Shikamaru and a bikini for Ino, but still, better than being nude.

Karin froze. "Oh, ancients, there's really two of them. Where do you even keep the computer to run both of them?"

"Since I trust you about a tenth as far as I could throw you, I won't tell you," Naruto told her bluntly. "Now, this is Shikamaru, the Ship Assistant. He came online over a month ago. And this is Ino. You should remember when she came online, you were there."

Karin's face twisted into confusion and then, when she realized what he meant, rage. "You mean that's the sprite I sent into your system?!"

Ino hunched her shoulders. "I'm sorry, Creator. But Naruto's much nicer than you. Plus, I get to work with Shikamaru! He's so smart, it's incredible!"

"You're making me blush," Shikamaru said sarcastically, though Naruto noted an actual slight darkening of his cheeks.

Karin turned to Naruto. "Fine! Alright! You've made your point! Being kind works better than being cruel! My entire culture is fucked up beyond all recognition! What's your point, you smug sonuvabitch?!"

Naruto turned to her. "The point is, you can leave it all behind. You could join my crew."

"You mean become one of your whores?" Karin demanded.

"Future wives," Naruto corrected. "Same benefits I told your mother. Immortality, enhanced body and brain, access to highly advanced technology, and psychic powers. And you'll gain nine people who will watch your back and love you even when you don't love yourself. Ask yourself, Karin, in your heart of hearts, would you rather be powerful or be happy? I'm offering both."

Karin stammered, unable to respond. Before she could gather herself or Naruto could launch into another argument, Ino interrupted. "Um, Naruto? The sensors have picked up Oto vessels on an intercept course."

Naruto brushed past Karin, calling the Pack to him with Telepathy. He settled into his Command Chair and waited. Moving at Psychic Speed coming out the anti-grav tube, the crew were soon in their assigned seats. Karin stumbled over to the empty Intelligence station and sat down. "Pull up the maps, Ino," Naruto commanded. The female AI faithfully pulled up both the Tactical Map and Sector Map, showing the group a few systems away that were moving to get in their way. It looked like a Battleship supported by a couple small Cruisers.

"House Ghilwen!" Karin hissed in fury, "They must have had spies in the Space Port!"

"What do they want?" Naruto asked her, concerned.

Karin snarled in anger, "To assassinate me! Your vessel shouldn't even be in Oto Space, so if they strike now, they can kill the heir to House Guren without any political fallout."

Hana looked up at them and said, "It looks like our hyperwarp speed might have caught them by surprise. If they were planning to interdict us on the way out of Oto Space, only one of the smaller ships is in a position to intercept us before we get past them." She then looked at Karin and asked, "What is that big ship anyway? The smaller vessels look like the Cruiser class ships we've seen, but we haven't seen anything that large before."

Karin looked pensive as she stared up at the map, gnawed by indecision. They were too far away from House Guren forces to call for backup, and if that lead Cruiser interdicted them, the Battleship would be on them before they would be able to eliminate the Cruiser and escape. That was assuming this ugly Konoha vessel was even capable of outfighting one of the Oto cruisers. Then again, she reminded herself, it was an Uzu vessel in truth.

"Karin," Naruto said to her sternly. "Hana asked what class of vessel that big ship is?"

She glanced at the brunette distractedly, and muttered, "It's a battleship armed with Nova Lances. We'll be vaporized in seconds if we confront it."

Naruto darted a concerned look towards Hinata and said, "Any way we could avoid the incoming Cruiser?"

The bluenette girl looked away distantly for a moment, then nodded as she replied, "Yes, but it will mean a huge detour to avoid them. If there are other ships involved in this ambush as well, we might be in trouble."

Karin bit her lip. "If you give me access to your comms relay, I might be able to hack the ship nearest us in time to force it to run diagnostics on its Tachyon Drive. That'll force it out of hyperwarp and give us a gap to move through."

Naruto shared a glance and a conversation with Hinata and nodded. She pressed a few buttons on her chair and the Intelligence station that Karin was sitting at turned on. "Hack away, Karin. It's your life on the line too, you know," Naruto said wryly.

Karin began to type on her console with speed that was impressive for an unenhanced. "This would be so much easier if you hadn't taken my hacking portal," she muttered to herself.

"I'm not sure I approve of your policy of making AI's and then deresing them the instant they completed an assigned task anyway," Naruto said sharply, imagining the thousands of poor young souls Karin had casually killed off over the decades.

Karin rolled her eyes but continued typing. Soon she had a program she labeled as "Drive_Maintenance" which she then uploaded to the Fethanar class Cruiser after breaking their firewall almost absently.

They all stared up at the holographic map, watching the graceful and sleek looking Oto vessel get ever closer. Karin knew by the scale on the map that the Cruiser would be in interdiction range in just over thirty seconds, but she smirked, knowing they didn't need that long. Suddenly the Ghilwen Cruiser shuddered as it abruptly lurched out of hyperwarp, the lights at the rear of the ship flickering intermittently.

Fu gracefully flew the Invictus past the Cruiser and away from the other two ships. The crew all cheered when it was clear the threat had been averted. They all turned to Karin and showered her with praise. "That was a brilliant idea, Karin!" "You're really good at hacking!" "Could you give me a few pointers?" "Who taught you, you must have surpassed them by now!" and other positive phrases showered down on her. The Oto woman appeared overwhelmed, having never received such warm praise before. Growing up, perfection had been expected, and anything less received a harsh punishment. It felt… nice, to have her talents acknowledged. In fact, it felt so nice that she panicked and ran for the red anti-grav tube.

Naruto sighed. *I think we laid it on too thick,* he alerted the Pack.

*It's possible to get so used to misery that you stop feeling it. Like a fish not knowing it's in water. And then, when happiness finally comes along, you run away, because it's strange and unfamiliar,* Kakashi observed on their private mind link.

Naruto nodded and said, "Everyone, go about your tasks for the day. Ino, good catch on the sensors. Shikamaru, keep up the good work." That done, he left to get dressed for his 1030 spar with Lee.

The next three days passed in a blur. Karin didn't bother attending meals anymore, cooking her own fare in the Galley on Deck 4. They made a point of sending a member of the Pack to ask at each meal time, but she repeatedly refused or ignored them until they went away. Kakashi woke up one day with an identical body to Gaara or Sasuke but for the coloring. Officially an Uzu, Naruto started having sex with the others again, to their vocal delight. Naruto finally lost to Hana in a straight-up spar, and the girl claimed a dedicated lovemaking just to her as her prize. Hinata and Tenten, working together just like the old days, made sure each of the Armors was composed of triple-shaped white Unobtanium and that they had plenty of bullets for the Quantum Rifles. Sasuke and Naruto began to actually spar rather than just go over kata, and the extra practice really paid off for Naruto in his spars with Lee. He was now consistently winning against the hermit master, which seemed to have just lit a fire under the man's ass to improve his technique. Fu continued to practice with bigger and bigger forms, aided by the daily load Naruto dedicated to her at one point or another. Gaara worked in the Gym and Firing Range to increase his battle skills. And Kakashi started to boldly trade a portion of their fortune on the Galactic League Stock Exchange, while also thinking of ways to monetize Tenten's designs and some of the more fringe Uzu tech.

They flew right past Geniya and the Theta Aquarii system, on a direct course for Kodiak and Lee. Karin rose no objection, when they asked if it were okay to move directly to the Core Worlds. The crew continued with their self-assigned tasks, meeting up at meal times and of course at night in the Commodore's Quarters. Kakashi got to 'know' each of the lovely women of the Invictus and the handsome men. They passed almost a week since leaving Epsilon Aquarii, having fun and getting work done in equal measure.

Finally, they pulled into the Alpha Ursae Majoris system. Naruto had Gaara call Lee to warn him of their upcoming approach, and received nothing but a nod of acknowledgment. They got permission from Kodiak Flight Command to stay in orbit, and Fu took Naruto down in the Raptor. They came down on a traditionally Japanese two-story house, with a copy of the training garden from Lee's simulation in the back. Lee was waiting, wearing his usual black hakama, for once with the sleeves on, and a small suitcase beside him. "Let us go," he said to Naruto, walking past him into the Raptor from the airlock.

Naruto shrugged. The man had probably said his goodbyes and made his arrangements, he'd known they were coming for almost a week now. *Fu, take us back up,* he said, before walking to find Lee stymied by the anti-grav tube. "It's anti-grav technology," Naruto explained. "Blue means up, red means down. Faster and more convenient than an elevator."

Lee nodded, before walking into the blue tube. Naruto followed him, and he saw Lee walking into the Cockpit, eyeing Fu curiously. "This is Fu, my crew's Pilot. She was a Taki before I adopted her into my species, the Uzu," Naruto pointed out.

Lee nodded, a burning gleam in his eyes. "Ah, yes. How is that done, precisely? You were very vague in our talks up until now."

Naruto sighed. "I'll tell you, but you might want us to turn around and drop you back off at home once you hear."

Lee turned to face Naruto so he could see the total conviction in the man. "You promised me the power to avenge my wife and daughter. I would drink your blood if I had to."

Naruto winced. "Not blood. But another, genetically-laden liquid."

Lee was smart, he got it. "Your seed?" he asked, raising one of those thick eyebrows.

"I didn't make the rules. My semen is a psychic catalyst. It has the power to change the DNA of whomever ingests it. A diet of 3 doses a day for a week seems to be enough to fully adopt most species," Naruto said with a blush.

Lee weighted his desire to engage in homosexual oral sex against his desire to murder the man who'd ordered his family's deaths. "Done. When can we begin?"

Naruto blinked. "Just like that? You're committed, Lee, I'll give you that if nothing else."

"Naruto, you told me in the same conversation that my decade of training was pointless and that you could grant me psychic powers. I simply traded obsessing over training for obsessing over how best to serve you and get your help. I will be your slave for the rest of our lives, allow you to do anything you want to me, so long as Ayumi and Kimiko are avenged," Rock Lee stated without a drop of hesitation or deception.

"Okay. No offence, Lee, but you clearly need a life. And we'll do our best to give you one. To answer your question, we'll meet the rest of my crew, and then we'll have lunch before I give you, well, 'lunch'," Naruto explained.

Lee nodded, undeterred.

Fu guided them into the Docking Bay of the Invictus, Lee getting a chance to admire the craft in profile before the Raptor entered the ship. Naruto, Lee, and Fu left via the airlock, and Naruto sent the Nymph to run and gather the crew, not wanting to freak Lee out with psychic power just yet. Naruto led Lee to Deck 2 and showed him his room adjacent to Sakura's. Lee unpacked within ten minutes, Naruto trying and failing to make idle conversation with the man while he worked. Lee seemed to be just as laser-focused and taciturn as he'd been in the simulations. Naruto took him to the Officer's Lounge, where the crew were assembled with drinks around the dining table. "Care for a drink?"

"Water is fine," Lee said before taking his seat next to Sakura, which the girl kindly pulled out.

Naruto felt a little homesick, so he made traditional Japanese dishes like Tempura and Yakitori. Lee ate quietly and quickly, answering a question only if directly asked. The crew had been warned by Naruto and Fu, but it was still something to meet the man in person. Lee finished and turned to Naruto, visibly waiting until he finished. Naruto finished off his last bite and stood with Lee. "I'm going to show Lee the Commodore's Quarters. You lot clean up then go about your days."

Lee was unimpressed by the luxury of the bedroom, merely going to his knees in front of where Naruto sat down on the bed.

"Fair warning, there's a narcotic in my precum. You'll fall asleep for 14 hours after the first dose and 4 hours after the second dose," Naruto said, feeling very unsexy as he reached for his zipper.

"Duly noted," Lee stated flatly before his eyes widened at seeing Naruto's erection. Before Naruto could comfort Lee that it would fit, the man opened wide and clamped onto the head just like that. His large Asian eyes went glassy as his body began to mindlessly blow him.

Naruto sighed. *You have to admire his dedication, if not his people skills,* he projected to the Pack mind.

After a few minutes of raw sensation, Naruto unloaded down Lee's throat. His stomach swelled out, his six-pack vanishing as his belly inflated. When it looked like he'd swallowed a beach ball, he stopped. Naruto withdrew from his throat and put himself back in his pants. He scooped Lee up and laid him in bed, giving a quick kiss to the man's brow. "Welcome to the crew, Rock Lee. I hope you find what you're looking for."


	44. Chapter 44

Lee woke up again around 0300, and Naruto gently took him to the shower to get cleaned up and to give him his second dose. The bisexuality had already kicked in, so Lee was much more amenable to showering with a man he barely knew. He made no comment on how he suddenly found Naruto attractive, but it was obvious in how he held himself and how he looked at the Commodore. Naruto rounded out his belly a second time, and then tucked him back into bed and slept away the hours until he woke up again.

At 0700, Lee began to stir. He blinked open gummy eyes, feeling thirty years younger, and found he was in the middle of a bed filled with naked men and women. He recognized them all as his new crew and he relaxed back into bed. He looked down and gave a shout when he saw his abdomen swollen like he had some kind of advanced growth beneath his skin.

The crew all shot up, some of them summoning psychic powers in surprise, which made Lee gape. These people truly were psychic. And, supposedly, if he kept getting on his knees for Naruto, so would he be. He relished the idea of having the power to take on the cyborg assassin's of Pein's empire of death.

Naruto relaxed and dropped the Psychic Shield he'd made. "Relax, everyone. Lee just saw his belly, that's all."

Hinata stopped floating with Telekinesis to plop back to the bed. "Oh, that's all," she said relieved.

Sasuke's fingers stopped crackling with Psychic Lightning. "You didn't warn him that you cum in buckets?"

"It slipped my mind," Naruto said, rubbing the back of his head.

The others all relaxed their postures as well, settling into an early morning. Lee rubbed his protruding abdomen and felt how warm and solid it was. "You mean to tell me that this is all… you?" he asked incredulously.

"You were even bigger about four hours ago. Wait until you're an Uzu and then you'll digest the lot within an hour, your body will have adapted to taking my loads," Naruto explained. "So, how do you feel this morning?"

"Like a teenager, in both energy and horniness. Something you forgot to mention?" Lee asked, looking Naruto up and down appreciatively as much as he would Hinata or the other women.

"There's some personality alterations inherent to the change, among them bisexuality. I didn't tell you because you honestly didn't seem to give a fuck about the details so long as you ended up psychic with an enhanced body," Naruto told his teacher bluntly.

Lee shrugged. "True enough. So, a week you say?"

"Faster, if we maximize your meals and give you energy. But that's not an option right now. We're in the middle of a couple operations right now and we need all the energy we can spare. You'll have to settle for the standard 7 days like everyone else did," Naruto told him.

"Then why mention it?" he grumbled. "So, I take it it's time for my 'breakfast'? Will I remember this time?"

"Yes, you will," Naruto said with a smile. His behemoth of a cock awoke, sticking up proudly and twitching as if to invite Lee. The swordsman attacked the task as he did combat, with limitless zeal and boundless determination. He didn't even bat an eye as he found himself deepthroating the monster, just focused on getting that transformative spunk into his stomach. His efforts bore swift fruit, and Naruto groaned as his four balls unloaded their cargo down Lee's gullet.

Lee kept a mouthful of Naruto's seed, curious at its sweet taste, before swallowing it down. He looked down and found his abdomen even more distended, as if he were a pregnant woman a week past her delivery date with a 12-pound baby. "How do I not have any stretch marks?" he asked, curious.

A voice came from the speakers. "Give him the Holo-reader. I've loaded up a novelized version of your adventures the past few months, complete with all relevant information about the Uzu."

Lee looked up. "Who was that?"

"That was Shikamaru, one of our AI. He's a nice guy once you get to know him," Naruto said nonchalantly.

Lee rose a brow. "AI? One of?"

"It's all in the Holo-reader, my friend," Naruto said, grabbing the portable console from where it was tucked in a shelf with Telekinesis. "You can spend the day reading that, I'll be back at meal times. If you have any questions, just give a holler and Shikamaru will help you or get one of us. Okay?"

"Okay," Lee said, getting comfortable under the covers before balancing the Holo-reader on his inflated tummy.

The others all got dressed, had breakfast, and separated to do what tasks they deemed important before they arrived at New Eden around 1100.

The entire crew were up on the Bridge when they arrived in the Procyon system, and even Karin had joined them on the Command Deck, as she was curious to see what this important detour was all about. The star in the center of the system map shone brightly with a fierce white glow, clearly illuminating the single habitable planet in its orbit.

New Eden was a spectacular gem of a world, with a fresh, clean atmosphere, and a habitat that was perfect for humanity. As an Eden-classification planet, it was one of a tiny handful of highly sought after destinations for the rich and famous within the Konoha Federation. As one of the wealthiest people in the Federation, it was to be expected that Haruno Henry would have a residence here.

Naruto glanced over at Sakura, and found her staring pensively at the holographic representation of New Eden. The beautiful green orb floated above them on the Bridge, looking serene and peaceful in the blackness of space that surrounded it. "When did you last visit?" he asked her gently.

Sakura looked up at him and said sadly, "Just over two years ago now, and I haven't spoken to my father in all that time. His estate is just outside Avalon, which is New Eden's capital city."

Hana stood from her Tactical Station and walked over to stand beside the rose haired girl. "I've spent the last few days going through what happened with your mother," she said in a quiet voice, as she reached out and placed a comforting hand on Sakura's shoulder.

"Did you find any leads?" Naruto asked, looking down at the Lieutenant.

Hana nodded and looked up at him as she said, "I was only able to access news reports, and not the actual police files on the cases. The kidnappers seemed to be highly organised and extremely well informed. They hit the richest families, taking spouses or children, and then seemed to vanish with their victims. A day after each kidnapping, a ransom demand would be issued anonymously."

"Extremely well informed..." Naruto said, his eyes narrowing. "You think they had informants?"

She nodded firmly and said, "Yes, that would be my best guess. I'd suggest investigating the following to look for the leak: Security contracting firms, to see if there might be a common link between private protection companies used by the families involved. Local traffic authorities, as they might have been forewarned about security entourages travelling along sky lanes. Finally, local law enforcement. A corrupt cop might have been tipping the kidnappers off about potential targets."

He looked thoughtful for a moment, and then said, "Let's start with the police. If we take a look at the police archives, we might be able to find some more clues."

"Bringing us in for a close geo-synchronous orbit near Avalon," Fu said over her shoulder, and they watched as the holographic representation of the planet grew larger on the system map.

Naruto turned to look at Karin, and said in a pleasant voice, "We could use your help, if you're as good with computers as your mother says you are."

Karin frowned and said, "What are we doing here exactly? Has someone been kidnapped?"

He paused for a moment before answering, and said, "Sakura's mother was kidnapped and murdered ten years ago. We're investigating, and going to bring the kidnappers to justice."

The blue skinned Oto woman looked incredulous, and she balked, "You're wasting our time with something that happened a decade ago?! What makes you think I'd lift a finger to help you?!"

Naruto studied her for a moment before he replied, "We aren't leaving until this is resolved, so the sooner we wrap this up, the sooner we can be on our way. It's in your own interest to help us, if you want to leave quickly."

Karin ground her teeth, and she bristled with anger as she said frostily, "Fine... I'll help."

He bowed his head to her courteously and said, "Thanks for your gracious offer of assistance."

Naruto sat in his Command Chair and stated "I want Hinata, Hana, and Sakura with me. Everyone else can stay up here, Fu can carry us in the Raptor."

"Yes, Commodore," they all replied obediently, even Karin getting caught up in his commanding tone. She scowled and went for the anti-grav tube to get dressed in her armor while the selected crew members went for the Briefing Room to put on their new and improved Unobtanium Thrall Armor. They stepped into the boots and gloves and did their quick motions to get equipped, the opaque faces of the helmets looking mighty intimidating, sight provided by a small camera built into the helmet. The only way to distinguish them, other than the obvious differences between the Uzu and Thrall Armors, was by their wolf hologram.

Hinata and Hana had already retrieved their Quantum Rifles, and were busy slotting in the magazines to the appropriate slots. They picked up some extra magazines, and a number of clips, slotting them into position on their combat webbing. Naruto and Sakura followed their lead, and soon they were fully equipped and ready for action. He looked over at the three of them, standing in their glossy white armour with the light blue, dark brown, and pink wolf emblems on their respective left breasts. With their ferocious looking rifles at the ready, they looked very intimidating.

"How do we look?" Hinata asked him curiously.

Naruto grinned and said, "Like people not to be fucked with."

She smiled at that, then asked, "Why are we gearing up anyway? I thought we're just going to visit the police headquarters?"

He winked and said, "I have a feeling we'll make a significantly more dramatic impression on Avalon PD dressed like this."

"Clothes make the man," she agreed with a wry smile.

They strolled out of the Briefing Room, and Fu smiled at them as they walked past the Pilot's Station. "We're in orbit above Avalon," she said, rising from her chair.

He nodded to her, and the Nymph walked briskly ahead of them, heading towards the grav-tube. He paused, and turning to face Sasuke he said, "Take care up here. Let us know if you run into any kind of trouble."

"Likewise!" Sasuke said enthusiastically. He kissed his hand and then placed it on his face plate. "You're a walking tank, but please be careful. Remember, you're High Command now. You can get whatever you want by barking orders and reminding everyone of your rank."

Naruto nodded and then jogged to catch up with the girls headed down the anti-grav tube. They were all waiting in the Docking Bay when Karin arrived in her golden Oto armor, helmet in hand and Laser Rifle slung over her back. "How did you get geared up so fast?" she demanded.

Naruto shrugged. "Hook and latch design Tenten borrowed from the Nuke. Takes less than ten seconds to get dressed in an equipping frame. A benefit you could enjoy if you joined the crew," he couldn't help but add.

She scowled and put on her helmet, the hydraulic seals hissing as they closed. Fu had begun to warm up the Engines on the Raptor, so they all walked up the Loading Ramp, Shikamaru closing it behind them.

"If you expect me to hack at my usual level, you'll either need to return my hacking portal or lend me one of your AI," Karin said grudgingly.

"Sorry, we're keeping that. Tenten found all kinds of data on it aside from the AI generator. Apparently, Guren, the original Matriarch, recorded and left behind messages to warn future Oto of the threat of the Uzu. You can be there when we watch them once we build the right projector," Naruto offered.

Karin glanced in his direction. "I… I would appreciate seeing my great-grandmother's final words," she finally said.

"You'll get a front row seat, don't worry," Naruto promised. "And Shikamaru will be happy to help you. Just tell us what to do and he'll pick it up on our microphones."

Fu lifted up the Raptor after her final safety check and flew them out the open doors of the Docking Bay. They floated in the blackness of space beside the Invictus, the light of the white sun gleaming on their Invictium armor plating.

Fu glanced over her shoulder at Naruto and said, "Where to?"

"The Police Headquarters in Avalon. The capital is bound to have the biggest law enforcement facility," he said speculatively.

Hana nodded her agreement and said, "I checked, you're right. They have a large compound and central headquarters building in the North west quadrant of the city. It's quite distinctive; look for a modern thirty-story tower block in black and silver. There are dozens of landing pads for anti-grav vehicles, on a platform on the south side. We should be able to land on one of those."

"On our way," Fu said with a smile, and cranked up the power to the engines, sending them racing towards the surface of the planet.

New Eden loomed large before them, the planet looking green and lush as it drew closer. Unlike the wilder nature of the Oto worlds, this Konoha world looked to be carefully maintained and cultivated, with humanity having stamped it's authority on the planet. Fu brought them in on a smooth descent towards the city, and they raced over huge, immaculately preserved estates on their final approach to Avalon.

A flashing light on the console let Fu know that they were being hailed, and she clicked a button that accepted the call. A stern faced young man appeared on the viewscreen, and he said brusquely, "This is Avalon flight control. Please identify yourself, and the nature of your business in the city."

Naruto got up and then walked over to stand by Fu's side, and in a tone that let the young man know that this wasn't up for discussion, he said, "This is Commodore Uzumaki Naruto, and I have business at the Police Headquarters. Let them know I'll be arriving in five minutes."

The young flight controller looked surprised, and after a brief pause he said, "Right away Commodore! I'll alert them of your imminent arrival."

Naruto nodded, and glanced at Fu, who reached over to end the call. She looked up at him and grinned, admiring his commanding presence. He winked at her, and then looked out over the planet, as they approached the city.

Turning back to look at Sakura, he asked her, "Did you grow up on New Eden?"

The rose haired girl had been lost in her thoughts, and she looked up at him when he spoke. She nodded and said, "Yes, I spent most of my time here. We had several other houses on different planets, but I always thought of New Eden as home."

Naruto walked over and sat on his haunches in front of her. "Having any second thoughts about this?" he asked considerately.

Sakura looked into his eyes and he saw a firm resolve there, as she replied, "No. I want to get justice for my mother. The people who did this to her have been able to get away with it for too long."

Naruto nodded, and reached out to hold her hand before sitting beside her. As he did so, he spotted Karin rolling her eyes, and he stared at her pointedly for a long moment, until she flushed with embarrassment and looked away.

Fu called out to them, "Coming up on the Police Headquarters," and they looked out of the cockpit canopy to get a glimpse of their destination.

Sure enough, the black and silver tower block appeared ahead of them, looming out of the steel forest of the city skyline. Fu raced towards it in the Raptor, darting between the skyscrapers that made up Avalon's city center, with a breathtaking display of aerobatics. The landing platform jutted out mid-way up the law enforcement building, and numerous police cruisers colored in the same black and silver as the building, were parked in neat rows on the landing pads. There were plenty of free spaces available on the platform, so she picked one of the pads close to the building, and brought them down to a gentle landing under her skillful and well practiced hands.

Naruto stood and placed a hand on the Nymph's shoulder as he said, "You better stay with the gunship. We'll let you know if there's any trouble."

She glanced up at him with her shining orange eyes and nodded, acknowledging his orders. He smiled at her, then walked out of the cockpit, and dropped down in the grav-tube as he followed after the others. They waited for him by the front loading ramp, and Hinata hit the button to lower the ramp as he arrived. It dropped smoothly with the soft hum of hydraulics, and Naruto strode out purposefully as soon as it touched the ground.

The girls fanned out to flank him, and the handful of police officers on the landing platform looked at them in surprise as they walked briskly towards the tall building ahead of them. Naruto heard a few muttered comments from the startled police, and he was sure he heard "Wolves" or "Alpha" more than once. He smiled grimly as they drew closer to the Police Headquarters, and the door suddenly swung open as a flustered looking policewoman burst through the door.

"Commodore Uzumaki!" she gasped when she looked up at them all in shock, having not expected to have them appear right in front of her.

Naruto stopped and studied the woman appraisingly as he said, "Yes, I'm Commodore Uzumaki Naruto. Who might you be?"

The police officer blocking their path was an attractive raven haired woman in her early thirties, she got a hold of herself and said, "I'm Detective Walsh Karen, I just heard from Traffic Control that you were heading our way."

Naruto nodded, and watched a couple of the police officers from the platform dart past them and run into the building. "My team and I are conducting an investigation. I'd appreciate the cooperation of the Avalon Police Department in helping me conclude it as quickly and efficiently as possible," he said in a no-nonsense manner.

Detective Walsh looked up at him wide eyed, and nodded as she said, "What can we do to help you?"

Naruto smiled at her gratefully and said, "We'll need access to your data archives. We're investigating a murder that happened ten years ago."

The police officer nodded, and then opened the door behind her. "Follow me," she said eagerly, and walked inside.

It seemed like the police officers from the platform had spread the news of their arrival, and it appeared to have raced like wildfire through the building. As Naruto and the girls strode through the corridors after Detective Walsh, they passed dozens of awestruck faces as the police officers came out of their offices to watch the celebrities in their midst.

She led them out into a large foyer area, with clear glass elevators on the other side of the wide room, that led up to the open plan offices above. They strode briskly across the foyer, as a hushed silence fell across the room. Their guide led them into an elevator, and it rose steadily, going up four levels before stopping with a soft chime. Police men and women lined the balconies of the different levels of the foyer, all wanting a glimpse of the Alpha of the Federation and his Wolves, geared up for battle.

The elevator doors swung open and Detective Walsh led them across the open office area, to a glass walled server room on the far side. She swiped her detectives badge across the reader by the side of the door, and an automated voice said, "Welcome, Detective Walsh."

She gestured for them to enter, and Naruto led the way, with the police woman and the rest of the girls following behind them. He turned towards the golden armored Oto who stood behind him, and said, "Over to you, Karin."

Karin walked towards the bank of huge servers, and deftly removed the data jacks from her right vambrace. She attached them to the corresponding ports on the server console, and then began to hit several buttons on her gleaming golden arm. "Shikamaru, please run a search using these criteria," she said loud enough for the others to hear, pulling up a holographic panel and typing furiously for a few seconds.

"No problem," Shikamaru projected from the Armor's external systems.

Detective Walsh jumped. "Who was that?" she asked

"Our tech guy back on our ship," Naruto explained, if perhaps not in a great amount of detail.

They only had to wait for thirty seconds before a soft chime from Karin's vambrace drew their attention back to her. She tapped in a few commands, and then unclipped a small device from her belt. Turning towards the glass wall behind them, and the dozens of staring police officers behind it, she stuck the device to the wall. With the press of a button, it began to project holographic panels, showing the relevant case files that the AI had located.

Detective Walsh looked up at the files, and when she had read the first couple of reports, she looked over at Naruto in surprise. "You're investigating the New Eden Serpents?"

When he looked at her with a bemused expression, she smiled apologetically, and said, "Sorry, that's the nickname the media gave the kidnapping group. Because they were taking people away from the garden of New Eden... Yeah I know, pretty lame right?"

Naruto shrugged and said, "What do you know of this group, The Serpents?"

The policewoman shook her head and said regretfully, "Not much I'm afraid. It was before my time on the force, and I was still in the Academy when they were active. The gang did a number of high profile kidnappings about ten years ago, with most of the wealthy victims returned safely. They made a lot of money in a very short time, but were never caught."

Hana had been carefully studying each of the police reports and she said offhandedly, "The lead officer in all these cases was a Detective Buckley Cliff. Is he still working for the Avalon Police Department?"

Detective Walsh nodded, and said, "Yeah, Captain Buckley is in charge of the precinct now."

Naruto was going to ask her for more details, when a stocky, red faced man in a suit came storming through the glass door to the server room. "What's going on here?! Stop what you're doing immediately!" he demanded in an outraged voice. "I never gave you permission to access our servers!"

Turning to face the man, Naruto said calmly, "Permission? I'm a Commodore in the Konoha Federation Navy. I outrank every civilian on this planet."

As the red faced man fumed impotently, Detective Walsh said, "Commodore Uzumaki, this is Captain Buckley."

"Thank you Detective," Nartuo said, to her courteously. He then looked at the Captain and told him curtly, "We're just conducting an investigation. We'll be out of your hair shortly."

Captain Buckley glared at Naruto, then narrowed his eyes as he looked past him at the reports Hana was sifting through. The Lieutenant was speaking quietly to Karin, who nodded, looking impressed, and began to rapidly type in new sets of instructions to her AI coworker.

The Captain's eyes widened slightly as he saw what reports they were examining, and he said, "Commodore Uzumaki, we can discuss this like reasonable men, surely? Why don't you come up to my office and we can have a chat. Then you can continue your investigation afterwards."

Naruto was about to reply, when Hana said sharply, "He's a corrupt cop. He was the informant for the kidnappers."

Buckley sounded outraged as he blustered, "How dare you! I've served the force loyally for seventeen years!"

Karin entered a number of commands, and new holographic images began to flash in front of their eyes. Bank accounts registered to Buckley Cliff appeared, showing large transfers of funds ten years ago, with the relevant entries highlighted in damning red circles. Captain Buckley gaped at the images, his eyes wide in shock.

"There's more," Hana continued relentlessly. "He arranged the murders of two detectives ten years ago. They suspected he was involved with the kidnappings."

The Inuzuka nodded to the Oto who opened the damning audio file, hacked from the telecom archive of his private phone records.

The recording of Captain Buckley's distinctive voice filled the room, and he snarled, "I want those fuckers dead! MacDermot and Higgins have started snooping around, and I've seen the looks they've been giving me. They know I'm involved!"

"Calm down," a stern voice replied. "Just let us know when they leave the station, and we'll take care of it."

Karin clicked a button, and a news article suddenly appeared, with the title: "Avalon PD Detectives gunned down in apparently motiveless shooting!" The image accompanying the article showed the smoking ruin of a black and silver police squad car, riddled with dozens of bullet holes.

Captain Buckley stared at them in horror, and glanced behind him at the dozens of police officers who were staring at him appalled, their faces registering their shock. He glared at Naruto in fury, and reached for his handgun, as he started backing from the room.

Hinata was standing on the other side of the room, but with a dismissive wave of her hand, she slapped the pistol from the man's shaking grasp. She then turned her hand upwards, and he screamed as she lifted him off the floor.

Naruto walked over to the Police Captain, and studied him for a long moment, seeing the fear in the other man's terrified eyes. "I'm entirely within my rights to execute you immediately," Naruto told him coldly. "The only thing saving you from that, is if you tell me everything you know about the kidnapping gang, these 'New Eden Serpents'."

Captain Buckley stammered for a moment, but he began to talk rapidly when Nartuo began to aim his big and intimidating Quantum Rifle. "They're still active!" he gasped. "They used all the money they made years ago to buy a huge arsenal of surplus army hardware. Tanks, big guns, ships... They've been working as mercenaries!"

Naruto frowned and asked, "Why? If they made that much money years ago, why didn't they just retire?"

Buckley shook his head frantically and replied, "I've got no fucking idea! They didn't tell me their plans, they just paid me money to tip them off about juicy targets."

"Where are they now?" Naruto said in a voice quiet as the grave.

Buckley hesitated for just a moment, but one glance at Naruto's big gun got him talking again. "Beta Draconis!" he yelped. "The merc group is called the 'Armored Cobras'. They're legit now! They've got a base on the fourth planet in the system."

Naruto nodded, recognizing the name, and he said, "I've heard of them. Mostly do corporate work, but they've done some nasty jobs for the Federation too."

Hinata walked up beside him, and asked, "What's the verdict on Captain Buckley?"

Naruto glanced at Sakura and said, "He's an accessory to your mother's kidnap and murder. What do you want to do with him?"

She narrowed her eyes, and then glanced at the angry faces of the police officers outside the room. "He's a cop killer. Let them deal with him," she said firmly.

Hinata waved her hand away dismissively, and Captain Buckley went tumbling backwards, then sprawled across the floor. Naruto walked out of the server room without giving the man a second glance, and he passed the furious police officers as they began to walk slowly towards the prone man, their fists clenched in anger. The girls followed after him, apart from Sakura, who watched the red faced Captain scrabble backwards, looking up at his men fearfully. With a nod of satisfaction, she strode briskly after Naruto to catch up.

Detective Walsh jogged to keep up with Naruto, and she looked up at him in awe as he strode purposefully towards the elevators. "Where are you going now?" she asked him, sounding shocked to the core by the recent turn of events.

"Beta Draconis," he replied calmly. "We've got a nest of snakes to eliminate."

An hour later, Naruto and the girls had removed their combat gear, and were gathered around the long table in the briefing room, looking at the Beta Draconis system map. The yellow star was enormous, massively larger than Konoha's sun, and Tenten had to adjust the scale of the map so that they weren't just staring at a huge yellow sphere. None of the planets in orbit looked particularly appealing, two of which were gas giants, while the third was a molten world, covered in vast oceans of magma. The fourth planet out was a relatively small and barren planetoid, called SerpentHold.

Tenten frowned and said, "What's up with all these snake references? I can't believe they lucked out and got a planet with a name like that for their base."

Before anyone could answer, Karin strode into the room, and she said, "They didn't. The mercenary group purchased that world and renamed it."

Naruto smiled at the enthusiastic expression on her beautiful face, and said, "It sounds like you've been doing some digging."

She nodded, but hesitated a moment before she said, "I've discovered a wealth of information for you, but I have one condition before I hand it over."

He looked at her suspiciously, and asked, "That sounds ominous. What do you want?"

Karin smiled with a predatory gleam in her eyes as she replied, "To come with you on this mission. I haven't hunted Konoha before, and for some reason, the idea suddenly seems very appealing."

Naruto studied her for a moment before he said, "Alright, but there are conditions. Firstly, no firing until I give the order. Secondly, you obey my every command while we're down there. I won't risk you stirring up another shitstorm with some reckless shooting."

She nodded her agreement to his conditions, and produced the small holo-projector she had retrieved from the police server room before they left. She walked over to the desk, and placed it on the surface, angling it so that it would project out into the room. Although she had removed her body armor, she still wore the golden vambrace on her right forearm, and she pressed a couple of buttons on it with comfortable familiarity. Dozens of images sprang up, floating in the air in front of them, and she turned to face Naruto and the crew.

"The 'Armored Cobras' purchased Beta Draconis IV eight years ago, and promptly renamed it to SerpentHold," she began, bringing up a deed that showed the sale from the Konoha Federation to the Mercenary Company. "Since then, they've spent a substantial sum of money on terraforming the planet. It was a barren rock with a toxic atmosphere, but now the air on SerpentHold is breathable."

Kakashi looked puzzled and asked, "Why would the Konoha Federation sell off a planet like that? It's got to be worth a fortune when it's fully terraformed."

Naruto shrugged and replied, "The Konoha Federation was strapped for cash at the time. It cost a huge amount of money to finance all the wars I fought in, back when I was a Marine, so I can easily see them needing to make some quick ryo. By the sounds of it, Beta Draconis IV would have been unusable without spending some serious money on terraforming, and the Federation wasn't in a position to spend those kinds of monies."

Karin nodded and said, "They bought the planetoid for half a billion credits, and have invested at least as much again in terraforming expenditure. They've been making significant amounts of money hiring themselves out to a variety of corporations, but there's also some off-the-books revenue streams as well."

Naruto looked surprised and said, "You've been able to go through all their private finances?"

The Oto woman shrugged nonchalantly and nodded, saying, "If a server is linked to the Holonet, I can hack it. Especially with their third rate data security."

Sakura frowned as she asked, "These other revenue streams don't sound like they're from legitimate sources. Are they still kidnapping and ransoming people?"

Karin nodded, and replied, "New Eden isn't the only place they've been active. When they started drawing too much attention there, they started branching out to a number of different worlds." She tapped a couple of buttons, and a few dozen images appeared, showing news articles reporting kidnappings that were taken from at least ten different planets over the last eight years.

"They must have been raking in the cash!" Tenten said in amazement.

Sakura looked grim and said, "These news articles are probably the tip of the iceberg. The rich and famous don't like airing their dirty laundry in public, so the last thing they'd want, is for it to get out that they'd been the victim of a kidnapping gang."

Hana frowned and said, "I can't believe someone hasn't put this together yet. Why haven't the Konoha Federation military got involved?"

Naruto glanced at the news articles, and said, "It looks like they've been careful to hit a broad selection of different worlds, so planetary law enforcement hasn't made the connection." He then looked at Karin and asked, "Are you certain they're responsible for all of these kidnappings?"

The Oto woman nodded decisively and said, "I cross referenced each kidnapping case with their accounts. A few days after each incident, significant sums of money were transferred through shell companies, and finally routed to the Armored Cobras."

Sasuke looked puzzled and asked, "I thought you said their data security was third rate? They must know what they're doing if they can hide the trail enough to hide it from the cops."

Karin sneered condescendingly, "Their network specialist is probably considered an expert amongst the Konoha. If he was my student, I'd have given him five hundred lashes with a neural whip for this kind of incompetence. It took me less than three minutes to cut through his firewall."

Naruto raised a hand and said, "Alright Karin, settle down. What do you know about their command structure? Do you know the names of the people running the mercenary company?

She scowled for a moment, before pressing a couple more buttons on her vambrace. A series of dossiers appeared, fanning out and aligning in an organisational chart. "Colonel Morgan Semias runs the Armored Cobras, but I could find no records for him, military or otherwise, so the name is probably an alias. He has three Captains working for him, Pickering Abraham, Latimer Zane and Mallor Hitch. They all served in the Terran Federation military together, but they were dismissed with dishonorable discharges. Pickering was a Commander, and the other two men were First Lieutenants before they were stripped of their ranks."

With a few more taps on her arm, she brought up their extensive criminal history. They each had violent backgrounds, with crimes ranging from extortion to grievous bodily harm, and in Mallor Hitch's case; attempted murder. He had been acquitted when witnesses changed their statements, or refused to testify.

Sakura stared at the four men's faces, and asked quietly, "Do you think they were the original gang members that murdered my mother?"

Naruto was about to reply, when Karin suddenly said, "When they were discharged from the military, they were suspects in a number of violent crimes over several years. They seemed to cease all criminal activity eleven years ago, right before the kidnappings began. Then they disappeared off the grid for three years, until they suddenly formed the Armored Cobras, and bought SerpentHold eight years ago."

Naruto nodded appreciatively to Karin, and then turned to look at Sakura. "That sounds like a pretty huge coincidence to me, and you know how I feel about coincidences," he said grimly.

Sakura nodded at him with a determined look in her hard green eyes.

He then looked at Karin and asked, "What info have you got on their hardware and numbers?"

The Oto woman typed in a rapid series of commands on a holographic panel, and a number of listings appeared. They provided full details on the armored company, including personnel rosters, vehicle inventory, and ship assets. Hana leaned forward eagerly to digest all the information, but she frowned when she read through the long lists of resources the Armored Cobras had at their disposal.

"They've acquired a substantial amount of materiel," Hana said, looking concerned. "They've got a fleet of three Cruisers, and a dozen Destroyers, along with a Carrier rigged for orbital exo-armour insertions. They have ten heavy tanks and just over two hundred personnel."

Naruto looked grim as she listed off all their forces, and said, "Are they all on-planet at the moment?"

Karin shook her head and said, "The Cobras secured a contract to garrison a corporate facility a few systems from here. Going by the data on their normal deployments for garrison duty, that means the Carrier with the exo-armour will be busy. They usually take one of the cruisers, and half the destroyers for protection."

Hana suddenly looked a lot more confident. "If they've split their forces, that's a whole different ball game. We can hit the defending Cruisers with a surprise assault, then obliterate their base from orbit."

Sakura looked worried and said, "Wait a moment. What about kidnapping victims? Have the Cobras taken anyone captive right now?"

Karin rolled her eyes and asked, "You aren't seriously suggesting we rescue prisoners? Why bother putting ourselves at risk for a handful of civilians?"

Naruto looked at her pointedly and asked, "How many are down there?"

The blue-skinned woman tsked, then said grudgingly, "Four women, two children. They're being held in the main compound."

Gaara looked horrified, and he gasped, "You would have let us bomb innocent kidnapping victims?!"

Karin smiled at him wickedly, and gave him a nonchalant shrug.

Tenten looked puzzled and asked, "If we'd blown up the base from orbit, how would you have been able to hunt any Konoha?"

The Oto woman grinned and said spitefully, "There would have probably been some survivors. Just like cockroaches seem to be able to survive anything."

Further argument was silenced by Sasuke, who said loudly, "It doesn't matter anyway! They've got a planetary defence shield."

Sakura looked bemused and asked, "What does that mean?"

"That we can't hit their base from orbit," Naruto explained. "If the base is shielded, that usually means they'll have laser defence batteries too. The Invictus won't be able to just sit there and slug it out with them."

"We have to rescue those poor people!" Sakura said earnestly.

He nodded, and looked thoughtful for a moment, before turning to Karin and asking, "Do you have a topographical map of their base?"

She scanned through the list of files and then selected several, bringing them up in the holo-projector. The images included a satellite image of the base, a couple of photographs taken from different angles, and a detailed maintenance schematic of every facility in the compound. The maintenance schematic showed everything from power junctions and generators, to Janitor's closets and bathrooms.

Naruto laughed in amazement and said, "Konoha Federation Intel Division would kill to have someone like you working for them. In my ten years in the military I never had a mission briefing like this!"

Karin smiled at him proudly, and for a moment, she looked genuinely happy, and pleased by his compliment. As quickly as her face had lit up with that lovely smile, it was abruptly replaced by the dark shadow of a scowl. He shook his head, feeling sad for the woman, before turning to face the Pack.

Naruto smiled at them confidently and said, "Alright, let's get to work."


	45. Chapter 45

The crew and Karin looked at him attentively and waited for him to continue. You could have heard a pin drop in the room, as they all leaned forward to hear Naruto lay out his plan to take down the Armored Cobras.

"We're going to form three teams," Naruto said decisively. "I'll lead Team One, taking Tenten, Sakura, and Sasuke with me on a ground insertion into the base. We'll rescue the kidnap victims, and sabotage the base's generators. When the generators go down, that'll knock out their planetary defence shield, and any laser batteries. Tenten, I'll need you to come up with a good way of taking them out."

The ravenette nodded eagerly, her mind already whirring as she thought about different ways to do it. Hinata was about to protest strongly at not being able to accompany him on the mission, when he silenced her objection with a stern glance.

"You'll be Team Two. You can sneak us down there in the Raptor, then stay on station in case we need an emergency evac," he explained.

Hinata frowned and said, "Why can't Fu fly the gunship? Then I can join you on the ground mission."

Naruto glanced over at the Nymph and said, "Because I'll need Team Three, which will be Fu, Hana, Gaara and Kakashi up here on the Invictus. I want you to stay hidden, but be prepared to engage their defensive fleet if we set off an alarm. If that happens, we'll need those Cruisers and Destroyers distracted, to make sure we can make a clean escape on the Raptor. If all goes well with the generator sabotage, and getting the prisoners clear, you can hit the defending merc fleet as we're flying out of there on the Raptor. Once their fleet is destroyed, you can start bombarding their base."

The bluenette girl pouted, but nodded her acceptance of the plan. She then looked thoughtful and said, "Actually, it might be better if I fly the Invictus and Fu pilots the Raptor. She'll be able to make much better use of the gunship's maneuverability than I can, and provide you more effective close fire support if there's trouble. Besides, I'm the only one with real combat flying experience piloting the Invictus."

Fu frowned and said angrily, "But you told me I could fly the Invictus!"

They all looked at her, astonished at her outburst, and she giggled mischievously. "Sorry, I couldn't resist! Of course, I'm happy to fly the Raptor."

Naruto chuckled and said, "Just fucking with us?"

The Nymph winked at him playfully, then said in a more serious voice, "I have quite a bit of combat time in the Raptor now, against both the Kusa, and the Kumo. Hinata's plan makes good sense."

"We'll all coordinate with Telepathy, of course," Naruto explained. "Keep everyone posted on your respective status.

Karin masked her expression, so they couldn't see how oddly put-out she was that she didn't have access to their group mind. Of course, she knew exactly how to get it, but refused to countenance the option.

Hana was going over the listings of assets the Armored Cobras had. "We're lucky we upgraded all our weapons and Shields. These Cruisers and Destroyers are all modern and well-equipped, nothing like the decommissioned ships the pirates used."

"Could we take them?" Naruto asked seriously.

"Of course. We might scratch the paint once the Shields go out, but we should be able to handle the full fleet, let alone the split forces," Hana stated with confidence. Karin gaped at how effective the ship and crew must be for her to be so confident, assuming she wasn't a clueless moron.

Karin looked at Naruto with a raised eyebrow and asked, "And where am I going to be in this little scenario?"

Naruto studied her for a moment and said, "We all saw what you did to that Oto patrol Cruiser. Can you incapacitate a Konoha Cruiser like that too?"

Her sly grin was all the confirmation he needed, and he nodded with satisfaction.

Hana grinned, and said, "Even better! It'll be like shooting fish in a barrel."

Naruto shared her enthusiastic grin, and said, "Alright then, does anyo-"

"Wait a moment," Karin interrupted him sharply before he could continue. "Have you forgotten our agreement?"

Naruto shook his head and replied, "No, but this first phase of operations against the Cobras is too risky for you to go big game hunting, and you'll be much more effective against their fleet. When we've cleaned out SerpentHold, we'll mop up the rest of their company that's currently on garrison duty. You can hunt as many of them as you like."

The Oto woman thought this over for a moment, then nodded her agreement.

Naruto smiled, and then looked around at the crew. "Any suggestions or queries?"

Hana raised her hand with a wry smile, and he nodded at her to proceed. "I suggest you infiltrate their base at night while most of them are sleeping. It should make it much easier for you to get around without attracting too much attention."

Karin had been searching through the data she had assembled and said, "I think this might be what you're looking for."

She hit a button on her vambrace and an email appeared from Colonel Morgan Semias to Captain Mallor Hitch. It read, "Hitch, spring a surprise on the tank boys and send them out on night maneuvers. They're getting fat and lazy and could do with some exercise!"

Naruto nodded and said enthusiastically, "Perfect! If they send out a group on some night mission that's even better. We could infiltrate the base when there's even less personnel around. When was that sent?"

Karin checked the timestamp and said, "Two days ago. Judging by the rota shifts on patrol duty, Captain Mallor plans to send them out tonight. There's another option as well, if you'd like to hear it?"

He smiled at her eagerness and said, "Sure, go ahead. What is it?"

She grinned and said, "They're expecting fuel supplies today. We could ambush the incoming fuel convoy, rig it with explosives, and then detonate it while they're refuelling at the base. All that would be left of SerpentHold would be a big smoking crater."

Sakura frowned and said, "Sounds pretty risky, and wouldn't give us much time to rescue the prisoners."

Karin grumbled and said, "Yeah, but it would save wasting the rest of the day waiting!"

Naruto mulled it over for a while and then said, "We'll go with the night patrol option. We can pick off their tanks at our leisure once we've extracted the kidnap victims. Besides, what about the fuel convoy crews? We can't just take them out, they're innocent civilians."

The Oto woman shrugged nonchalantly, and said, "Well, that's what I'd do."

Naruto restrained himself from rolling his eyes, and looked around at the Pack. "If there's no more questions, let's head out. We can sneak into Beta Draconis and do some surveillance while we wait. How long will it take us to get there, Hinata?"

"Four hours," she said immediately, having already mentally plotted out a course.

"Alright, let's do this," Naruto said resolutely.

They all rose from the Briefing Room table and headed to the anti-grav tube to keep themselves occupied for the rest of the day. Hinata glided up the illuminated steps to the Command Podium, and sat in her seat at the Executive Officers Station.

She smiled at Naruto as he walked up the steps to join her, and soon it was just the two of them left up on the Command Deck. Her hands flashed over the console, and she said quietly, "Two hundred against ten, eleven if you count Lee. That sounds like steep odds, even for us!"

He smiled as he looked down at her and said, "All being well, we won't actually have to fight more than a handful in the base. Besides, we must have killed way more than that fighting the Zetsu."

She laughed wryly and said, "Yeah, but they weren't driving tanks, or flying spaceships."

Naruto chuckled and said jokingly, "You worry too much. Besides, we haven't killed anything for a couple of weeks. I'm getting withdrawal symptoms!"

Hinata rolled her eyes at her man. She plotted the flight path and engaged the Tachyon Drive, sending them into hyperwarp in a rush of blue particles. That done, she took Naruto's hand and led him to the anti-grav tube. "Come on. I feel like feeding Lee a late lunch," she said suggestively.

Naruto almost beat her to the anti-grav tube.

After explaining the situation the crew was getting into and then having the man witness Naruto fuck his Matriarch with abandon before having him clean up the mess, Naruto left Lee to his Holo-reader to catch up with the crew's history and the knowledge of the Uzu. He summoned his Team One to the Firing Range, and had them go through a series of combat drills for hours, wanting everything to run smoothly down on SerpentHold.

Satisfied that the four of them were a lethal killing machine, Naruto summoned Gaara with his mind and went back up to the Bridge. This was a big op, and probably would have consequences for the K-Fed, so it was a good idea to alert his handler before going off half-cocked.

"Naruto! It's good to see you," Vice Admiral Aburame Shino greeted, a smile visible in the pull of his cheeks, his mouth hidden by his collar.

"Likewise, Shino," Naruto greeted. "Are you well?"

The older man chuckled and said, "I'm sure you aren't calling to ask after my health, but I'll play along. I'm fine, thanks for asking." He then looked thoughtful and asked, "How did you get on with the Oto? Any luck trading weapons with them?"

Naruto shook his head as he replied, "They wouldn't take my money, no matter how much I offered," he said, technically not lying.

"Sorry to hear that. Most uncooperative race I've ever dealt with, so it doesn't surprise me," Shino said sympathetically. He then looked at Naruto appraisingly and asked, "Now, how can I help?"

Naruto paused for a moment, as he leant forward to tap away at his console. When he was done, he sat back and said, "I've just sent you some light reading, thought you might be interested."

Shino narrowed his eyes, and looked at Naruto curiously as he said, "What are you up to now, you rogue? I thought you were living the enviable life of a billionaire playboy?"

Naruto laughed, and was about to reply, when a chime on Shino's console alerted him that the transfer was complete. The older man opened the files, then frowned as he stared at the dossiers and accounts that had unfolded before him. "What am I looking at?" he asked, bemused.

"Have you heard of the Armored Cobras?" Naruto asked him soberly.

Shino looked at him with a puzzled expression, and said, "Of course, biggest Mercenary group in the Konoha Federation. From all these files, it looks like you're investigating them. Why?"

Naruto's face took on a grim cast as he said, "Because they funded their group by kidnapping wealthy civilians, and ransoming them for huge amounts. I was looking into a murder, and the trail led me straight to them. Before they formed this Merc Company, the media referred to their gang as the New Eden Serpents."

Shino looked shocked and said, "I remember that! It was all over the news ten years ago." He then added in a worried voice, "You must have made some kind of mistake! They're a sanctioned Mercenary unit, they've even done a few contracts for the military."

Naruto shrugged and said, "It's all there in the files I sent. They haven't stopped the kidnappings. Take a look at their accounts, the money trails tie it all back to them. If that isn't enough, the Police Captain on Avalon confessed to tipping them off about targets, in front of a few dozen witnesses, all of them police officers."

Shino blinked a couple of times behind his shades as he took in this startling news, then frowned as he asked perceptively, "And what are you up to now? Please don't tell me you're about to attack them."

Naruto grinned at him, and said wryly, "I like to keep myself busy in my retirement."

Wolves of Uzu

They arrived in the Beta Draconis system shortly after Naruto ended his call with Shino. The man had been panicking about the political fallout of exposing a government ally as criminals, until Naruto pointed out that they could pretend the K-Fed ordered Naruto to launch his investigation in the first place. With that little landmine sidestepped, Shino gave his tentative blessing for the operation.

Hinata immediately powered down all their non-essential systems and brought them closer to the fourth planet. With the minimal use of engine power and retrothrusters, she was able to sneak them into orbit on the far side of the planet, with the Armored Cobras defence fleet none the wiser.

Hana brought up the Tactical Map, and the opposing fleet was laid out before them, clearly displayed with the wealth of information provided to them by the Invictus' sophisticated sensor array. The Cobras weren't bothering with mounting patrols of the system, as they considered themselves entirely safe as a legitimate Mercenary Company, fully sanctioned by the Konoha Federation. The small defensive fleet had their ship hulls painted tan and brown, and the holographic representations on the map reflected the colouring.

Hana looked through the formations of ships and said, "They've got two Cruisers stationed here, as we suspected. That's odd though..."

"What's up?" Naruto asked her curiously.

The Lieutenant pointed up at the Tactical Map and said, "They've got all twelve of their Destroyers with this fleet." She then glanced at Karin and asked, "I thought they usually split their Destroyers and sent half off as escorts for the other Cruiser and the Carrier?"

Karin frowned and said, "That's what they've done for the last seven garrison missions."

Naruto thought this over for a moment, and asked, "Could they have expanded their fleet?"

The Oto woman looked doubtful and tapped some commands into her armored vambrace. She scrutinised the Armored Cobras accounts again, and eventually said, "I don't see any new purchases on their books, and the latest entries date from today."

He looked over at Hana and asked, "Are the extra destroyers going to make a big difference?"

She shook her head, and said, "If Karin is able to disable one of the Cruisers, it should be no problem."

Naruto nodded, and asked Sasuke, "Can you bring up a map of the base?"

The bluenette hesitated a moment and replied, "Yes, but only what we've picked up with the passive sensors. We'll be able to see the general structures, but nothing in any detail without an active scan."

He smiled at him and said, "That's fine. We just need to confirm that the maintenance schematic Karin has is current, and that they haven't built anything new."

Sasuke smiled up at him, and then tapped in a series of commands on his console, bringing up the planetary map. The section highlighted was in a rolling area, with rugged hills to the north, and flat plains to the south. The base itself was positioned on a raised plateau that was obviously artificial in construction, and the entire base was surrounded by ten-foot-high sturdy looking walls. There was one large structure in the center, with a dozen smaller looking buildings dotted around the inside of the compound.

"That looks roughly the same to me," Naruto said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Karin, can you bring up your maintenance schematics for us to compare please?"

Karin unclipped the holo-projector from her belt and placed it on the console in front of her. The light green architectural plans of the base floated above them, showing the various buildings with the names tagged next to them. The largest was their command center, with a main generator, maintenance garage, and barracks the next largest buildings. Surrounding them were fuel stores, the armory, a backup generator, orbital shield projector, and several storage units.

Fu's sharp eyes spotted a discrepancy, and she pointed to over a dozen shapes rising skyward on Sasuke's passive map, which didn't appear on the original maintenance schematic. "They all look new, what are those metal spires?" she asked inquisitively.

Tenten squinted at the holographic map, and eventually nodded saying, "Well spotted. Fixed emplacement Beam lasers. The bottom third of the barrel must be underground, but the other twenty meters are visible. They'll be able to hit ships in orbit, so we'll have to draw the defence fleet away from the base when we engage them."

Naruto pointed to the original schematic and said to Fu, "It looks like they've got Gatling Laser nests placed evenly around the walls, and on the roof of the Command Center. We'll probably have to knock out the power to shut those down, before you can come and get us. With the amount they have, they'll cut the Raptor to pieces otherwise."

The Nymph tilted her head, looking up at the map, and nodded agreeably.

They spent a couple of hours watching activity on the base, studying the general movement of vehicles in the surrounding area. A couple of APC's left to perform looping patrols around the plateau a couple of times, but other than that there wasn't a great deal of activity. The highlight of their surveillance was the arrival of two civilian fuel haulage ships, that landed in the open drop zone in the northern part of the base. They waited patiently on site for thirty minutes, as their cargo was pumped into the base's fuel reservoir.

Karin looked up at Naruto and made an exploding gesture with her hands, then shook her head as though disappointed. He couldn't help laughing at that, and she grinned at him wickedly.

*Didn't realize you're into bad girls,* Hinata teased.

*What can I say? She's growing on me,* Naruto replied.

Night started to draw in on this part of the planet, and as the shadows started to lengthen, lights began to flicker on around the base. There were some floodlit areas, and the main buildings were all well lit, but there were plenty of places shrouded in darkness for them to creep around in.

"I think we're going to miss the unpurified Onyxium armor for this mission," Naruto said ruefully.

Tenten smiled at him and said, "Don't worry, I gave our armor a quick lick of paint. It will chip and come off pretty quickly, but it should last long enough to help keep us concealed for tonight."

Hana looked worried and said, "What if they have mag-view or thermal imaging on those gun turrets? You'll stick out like a sore thumb!"

Tenten said enthusiastically, "I'm working on counters for those in the new body armor, but that isn't ready yet. I've fitted the Raptor with something that will help get us in there, but its effects will only last fifteen minutes at maximum, so we'll have to move fast."

Naruto smiled at her, and said, "Come on, don't leave us in suspense! What have you got planned?"

The ravenette toyed with some thought for a moment before she shrugged and replied, "I was thinking of leaving it as a surprise, but it won't be very impressive. I've rigged up a limited EMP device, which will send out a low powered EMP shockwave. I doubt anti-personnel turrets will be EMP shielded, and any bigger buildings that are, won't be disturbed. Anyone manning the towers will probably assume they've had some kind of power outage, rather than their electronic targeting systems being scrambled."

"Very nice," Naruto said approvingly. He then glanced at the ship's chronometer and added, "They'll be sending out the night patrol in two hours, So if we leave then, we should arrive when they're well clear of the base. Let's have some dinner, then we can gear up and get ready."

The crew nodded eagerly, and even Karin was too keyed up for the coming fight to bother with game playing. Shikamaru and Ino offered to stay on the Bridge to keep watch, while the rest of the crew headed down to the Officers' Lounge to prepare dinner.

Karin returned to her quarters, and debated making her own dinner. The truth was, though, she had grown weary of preparing her own meals over the last several days, and was looking forward to someone else doing the hard work for a change. Besides, she quite enjoyed Naruto's company this afternoon, as he didn't seem quite so uptight as normal.

Naruto cooked pulled pork for them that evening, with roasted potatoes and mixed vegetables. He had also prepared them a light and sweet tasting apple sauce to go with the pork, and when he brought out the gently roasted meat, there were appreciative murmurs at the enticing aroma. Karin strode into the room a minute later, and sat in her chosen seat opposite Naruto, over at the other end of the table. She glanced at him flirtatiously to make sure he was watching her when she made her entrance, but couldn't be bothered to cause trouble, and they all tucked into dinner ravenously.

Glancing at his watch after they had eaten, Naruto looked up at them and said, "It's getting close to that time. We better get ready."

Tenten, Sakura, and Sasuke stood up, with Fu hopping to her feet shortly after. "I'll prep the Raptor!" She said excitedly before dashing out the door.

Hinata turned to the rest of the crew and Karin. "Guess we're due for the Bridge."

The lot of them, with the exception of Fu, took the blue anti-grav tube to the Command Deck. The ground team went into the Briefing Room to get dressed in their Armors, while the Bridge team took their usual seats. Karin tried not to feel a sense of camaraderie when she sat at the Intelligence Station but she couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to accept Naruto's offer and do this as a real member of the Pack. The armored crew members came out, their white Unobtanium Armor coated with pitch-black paint.

Gaara shivered. "You look like Orochimaru and his Thralls, now," he muttered.

"I prefer you as my white knight," Hana pouted before grinning.

Naruto shrugged, his blackened sword moving with his shoulders. "Until Tenten can create an invisibility cloak and integrate it into the armor, we're stuck with measures like this."

"Give me time," Tenten said, lifting her Quantum Rifle.

Naruto saw the worried expression on Hinata's face and gave her a mental kiss. "We'll be fine. We just sneak in, blow stuff up, rescue the prisoners, and come back to the Invictus. I'm more worried about you guys, taking on their defence fleet!"

Hinata nodded and barely managed a grin. "This is the first time you're going into the field without me. Don't get hurt," she ordered.

Naruto saluted crisply. "Yes, ma'am."

Karin didn't know whether to vomit or seethe with envy at the sweet display between the primer couple for this little harem.

Naruto and the rest of Team One descended down the anti-grav tube, and Hinata gathered herself and took her place on the XO Chair. "Let's get ready then," she told them resolutely. "We'll have to be ready to strike if they get in any trouble."

Hana nodded, and turned back to the holographic Tactical Map, studying the images intently. Karin turned to face the brunette and asked, "You're the Tactical Officer aren't you?"

Surprised, Hana spun her chair to look at Karin and replied, "Yes, that's right. Why do you ask?"

The blue-skinned woman hesitated for a moment, then asked quizzically, "Can you provide me some more detail on those Cruisers? The more I know about them the better."

The brunette smiled and nodded, saying, "I can provide you generic design schematics for a Konoha Cruiser. They might have done some customisation work, so I can't provide you accurate detail without an active scan."

Karin nodded curtly and said, "That will suffice." She then looked down at her vambrace, activated the holographic panel, and focused on it intently as she began to tap commands into the interface. Compared to her normally abrasive tone and mannerisms, the Oto woman had almost been polite.

Hana exchanged a wry smile with the crew, who raised an eyebrow, but didn't comment.

Wolves of Uzu

Fu brought the Raptor down to the planet in a long, arcing descent, slowing their approach by carefully feathering the retrothrusters. She managed to keep their energy signature to a bare minimum, so unless the Cobras had access to an incredibly sophisticated sensor array, she was confident they would remain undetectable.

The Nymph had powered off all extraneous systems, but she kept the sensors running on minimal power, to avoid any potential navigation mishaps. As they glided silently towards the base, she could see the outline of the perimeter walls, and the buildings within, highlighted in a green wireframe image. A column of heavy tanks had left the compound and were snaking their way off to the south, over the flat plains in that direction.

"There go the tanks," she called out to the passengers seated behind her, and they craned their necks to see.

Naruto stood, and walked over to her, placing his hand on her shoulder as he asked, "What's our ETA?"

Fu glanced at the HUD, checking the gunship's velocity, and said, "Just under two minutes. You should get into position."

Tenten stood up eagerly, and said, "Try and bring us over the north end of the compound. I'll drop the EMP device near the wall, then you can bring us down when that section goes dark."

Fu gave her a smile and a thumbs up sign, and the ravenette walked out of the cockpit, with Sakura and Sasuke following close behind. Naruto leaned down and planted an affectionate kiss on Fu's head and said, "Take care, my lovely little Nymph. Remember, I have big plans for you, so no getting hurt!"

She looked up and grinned at him happily, then waved goodbye before he turned and walked out of the cockpit to catch up with the others.

*We're nearly in position,* he thought to Hinata as he dropped down in the grav-tube. *Everything going alright up there?*

*We're fine, just keeping an eye on things,* the psychic bluenette replied to him confidently. *They did send out the Destroyers in a couple of groups a few minutes ago, but it seems to just be a random patrol.*

Naruto looked thoughtful and said, *It might be worth hitting the Destroyers while they're away from the planet. If the Cruisers join the battle, you'll have drawn them away from the Beam Lasers at the base.*

Hinata paused for a moment, before coming back to him and saying, *Hana's been thinking the same thing; that we should hit them while their forces are divided. We'll get ready to strike as soon as you've escaped with the prisoners.*

He walked into the rear of the ship, and found Tenten kneeling on the floor next to a device no larger than his armoured fist, which was attached to a small platform. He could see what looked like a couple of anti-grav cyclics, but they were the Uzu version, which made no noise compared to the Konoha versions. The ravenette pressed a button on the back of the platform, and it lifted off the ground, floating silently in the air.

"Your EMP device?" Naruto asked her curiously.

Tenten nodded animatedly and replied, "Yep! It's all ready to go. As soon as Fu gives the word I'll pilot it in via remote."

Naruto lifted the helmet he was carrying under his arm, placing it back on his head. He then unslung the Quantum Rifle he had over his left shoulder, and glanced up at his sword over his right shoulder to make sure it was still safely in position.

Fu's bubbly voice suddenly filled their heads. *We're hovering in position, two hundred meters directly above the northern wall,* she thought to them informatively.

*Thanks, beautiful,* he replied, then glanced at Tenten.

Sakura walked over to the panel that operated the rear loading ramp, while Tenten produced a handheld remote. The remote looked a lot like the one she had used to demo the maintenance robot, and she carefully steered the EMP device over to the loading ramp.

There was a sudden whistle of air as the loading ramp began to swing open, the terraforming of the planet bringing strong winds as well as a breathable atmosphere. The EMP drone wavered slightly as it was buffeted by the wind, but under Tenten's skilful piloting, it struggled on towards the now yawning rear of the gunship.

Naruto could see the look of intense concentration on Tenten's face as she fought valiantly to keep the drone upright and stable in the high winds. With the quick use of X-Ray Vision, he could see her coal black eyes watching the view from a camera fixed to the drone. They stood and waited for a tense couple of minutes, and Naruto walked over to the loading ramp to peer out below. He could see the walls and buildings bathed in light, and he began to picture names against each of the buildings, as they corresponded to the maintenance schematics.

Suddenly a small section of the wall directly below them flickered then seemed to short out, plunging that length of wall into pitch darkness. He turned and smiled at Tenten, who grinned back at him. He felt a slight sinking feeling, and he faintly heard the retrothrusters dropping in pitch as Fu throttled back the power slightly, while drifting slightly to put them just outside the base. They descended silently at a measured pace, and the base below loomed larger then disappeared out of sight, as the Nymph brought them down in a basin to the north of the plateau. Sakura, Tenten, and Sasuke walked up to flank him, and they hopped off the rear landing ramp, twenty seconds after the EMP device had made its disruptive presence felt.

The moment they were clear, Fu was up and flying away, rising up and disappearing into the night's sky. Naruto watched her leave for a second, before jogging stealthily towards the darkened section of wall in the mercenaries compound. The northern gate was normally magnetically sealed, but with the power knocked out, he was able to push the heavy titanium doors apart. The servos were well oiled, so they made a minimal amount of noise when he opened them, allowing the crew to slip inside. He pulled the huge doors closed after they were through, and they ran silently to the nearest building, then crouched in the pitch black by the Ferrocrete wall.

*This should be one of the storage buildings,* he said into the Pack mind, as he glanced at the base layout in his HUD.

When he reached the reinforced Ferrocrete wall of the sturdy building, he turned to glance behind him to make sure that his team were still with him. They nodded, their smart-linked Armors illuminating their outlines in blue on their GUIs.

*We'll loop around behind the next two storage units, then the bigger building in the north-west corner of the base should be the Main Generator. Watch out for any patrols inside the compound, or anyone out for a stroll. If we stumble across someone, don't wait for my permission, just take them out,* he thought quickly and quietly.

*I've added a fourth mode to the Quantum Rifles at the bottom. Shoots at a fifth the power, with the noise suppression it's good as a silencer. I did the best I could to mute the glare of the light, but let's hope no one has sharp eyes!* Tenten thought back.

They all nodded and turned the selector knob to the appropriate setting. Even a fifth of full power was still several times stronger than a standard assault rifle.

Naruto headed west, sticking close to the rear walls of the storage units, moving quickly through the darkness created by the EMP device. They passed a guard tower built into the wall, half way down the northern edge of the base, and Naruto grinned as he heard the sound of confused voices drifting down from the gun nest at the top.

They reached the edge of the last of the storage units, and glanced across the twenty meter gap to the Main Generator. It was housed in a reinforced Ferrocrete building in the north-west corner of the base, with thick power cabling feeding out from the building to a junction box outside. From there the cables went underground, snaking out to provide power to the rest of the base. The clean, new-looking tarmac path led up to the door of the generator room. Along each side, the path was lit by illuminated strips that clearly delineated the boundaries for anyone out on a late night errand to the building. Away from the path the comforting shroud of darkness reigned, offering them sanctuary in the murky gloom.

Naruto glanced behind him to check the team were still with him, and said, "We'll dash straight across this open section one at a time, but stay clear of the path. The other three cover the runner. When we reach the corner of the building, we can check for patrols, and then slip inside when it's clear."

His plan was met with eager nods, and he sprinted out across the gap between buildings, then hugged the northern wall of the Main Generator building. Sakura, Tenten, and Sasuke dashed across after him, then slid around to crouch in the shadows behind him. Sakura was covering the rear, while Tenten and Sasuke were keeping a wary eye on the walls to their front, and he was impressed how seamlessly they had executed the drills he had taught them. He poked his head out to have a quick look around, but could see no one in the vicinity, and no alarm seemed to have been raised from their run across the open.

He slipped around the edge of the building, then moved swiftly and furtively up to the heavy titanium door. He was relieved to find it wasn't locked and was well oiled, so it swung open easily and silently. Heading inside, the layout of the building was simple, with the huge generator in the middle of the room, and a glass panelled wall surrounding it. In the southern corner was a control room, and a man in combat fatigues was sitting on a chair, with his feet up on the desk. He was drinking a cup of coffee, as he watched football on a viewscreen above the console.

Naruto brought his rifle to bear, and trained it on the man, walking forward silently. The merc caught the movement out of the corner of his eye, and turned saying, "Hey, Bob! You're earl..."

The Quantum Rifle answered his friendly greeting with a soft murmur. "Prkow," the rifle whispered, and one round blasted a big hole through the man's chest, sending him sprawling backwards, and spraying the rear wall with blood.

Naruto continued walking towards the dead merc, and said, "Sakura, do a circuit to the north, I'll check to the south. Tenten, start rigging the explosives. Sasuke, guard her."

The crew followed his orders immediately, with Sakura heading around the corridor in the opposite direction to him, and Tenten opening a glass door into the inner generator room. Tenten pulled the pack of explosives from her back, and glanced around the corner of the generator, just to make sure no one was inside the central room. She could see Sakura walking swiftly down the corridor to her right, the girl's rifle readied at her shoulder, as she looked for any more mercenaries.

The rest of the room was clear, so Tenten moved behind the generator and placed the explosives on the ground. She activated the remote trigger that was linked to the detonator switch she carried on her belt, and with one last check to make sure everything was in place, she jogged around the generator to rejoin her friends.

"All set?" Naruto asked her, as she ran over to join them with Sasuke as her shadow.

Tenten nodded eagerly, and replied, "Yep! It'll make one hell of an explosion when it goes off!"

He nodded at her appreciatively, then said, "Let's hit the Backup Generator next. Same as before, we'll move around the outskirts of the base, using the buildings as cover. The other generator is in the South East of the base, so we've got a little stroll ahead of us."

"A midnight walk! How enchanting," Sasuke said with a smile.

He chuckled, then tentatively opened the door that led outside. There was no one around outside, so he waved the team past him, and they snuck out and turned right, sneaking away silently. He was about to follow them out, but after glancing backwards at the new crimson decor of the control room, he knew the moment anyone stepped inside, the alarm would be raised. Looking up at the sturdy doorframe, he walked outside, then closed the doors securely. He reached up and sunk his fingers into the Ferrocrete in a cascade of dust and stone chips, then tugged down slightly, warping the doorframe and jamming the doors shut. He smiled with satisfaction, then jogged to catch up with the Pack.


	46. Chapter 46

Fu had cleared the Landing Zone easily, drifting out and away from the mercenary base using the lightest of touches on the retrothrusters. From their earlier estimations, Naruto, Sasuke, Tenten, and Sakura would be at least thirty minutes, all going well, so she pivoted the Raptor and headed south. It didn't take long for the nimble gunship to catch up to the armored column she had seen leaving earlier, and the heavy tanks were clearly illuminated in the wireframe view of the passive sensors.

She followed them, trailing a couple of kilometers behind as she watched the armored vehicles fan out and move in-formation across the flat plain. They seemed to be mounting an assault against a group of hills in the distance, and she was curious to see what they had planned. The central four tanks came to a sudden halt, and she was surprised when there were several flashes from their main guns, as they began a barrage of the distant target. Bright explosions lit up the range as the shells exploded, sending geysers of dirt and rock high into the air.

While the central squad of tanks began shelling the distant hills, the other tanks peeled off, three to each side. They moved effortlessly over the rugged ground, their anti-grav cyclics keeping the fifty ton vehicles gliding smoothly along as they flanked their target. Fu watched them depart, and then banked her gunship, bringing the Raptor around to follow the western group.

Back at the Invictus, Hinata watched the holographic Tactical Map, keeping an eye on the tan colored Destroyer groups as they did a broad sweep of the system. She was keeping a close telepathic eye on her friends down on the surface, and all seemed to be going according to plan so far. When she glanced over at Hana, the brunette looked up from her console and smiled at her warmly.

"Have you come up with an attack plan?" Hinata asked the Lieutenant.

Hana nodded, and said decisively, "We should hit that central group first, then sweep out to attack the far group of Destroyers. Even if the two Cruisers move to intercept, they won't be able to reach us in time to save the second group, and it'll pull them far out of range of the planet's defence lasers."

Hinata glanced up at the map, and plotted out the course in her mind. She grinned, and said to Hana, "Great plan! I'm glad you're on my side."

The Inuzuka smiled back at her and said flirtatiously, "I prefer being underneath you, but I appreciate the sentiment."

Hinata giggled, throwing a loving look her way, and when Karin snorted with disgust, the bluenette girl smirked with amusement. "Never known the love of a good woman?" she asked the Oto mischievously. "You've been missing out."

Karin was about to snap back an angry retort, but a shadow crossed over her face, and she looked away, her eyes suddenly sorrowful.

Hinata immediately regretted taunting the blue-skinned woman, and said, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you. I was just being playful."

"Forget it," Karin said frostily, and turned back to the console, focusing on it intently.

Hana met Hinata's puzzled glance, and thought to her, *I wonder what that was about?*

Hinata shrugged imperceptibly and said, *We'd better leave her be, we don't want to upset her right before the battle.*

The Lieutenant nodded, then blew her a quick kiss, before turning back to the Tactical Map to watch the progress of the destroyer groups.

On SerpentHold, Naruto walked at a brisk pace close to the back wall of the armory, with the reinforced Ferrocrete brushing his left shoulder. He could hear the light footsteps of Tenten, Sasuke and Sakura's armored boots on the ground behind him, and they seemed to be having no problem keeping up with the pace he was setting. They reached the end of the wall, and he glanced around the corner, seeing a broad, squat building up ahead. The Barracks was in the south west corner of the base, and provided the sleeping quarters for up to two hundred mercenaries in the company. With half the Cobras off on the garrison mission, and the crews manning the fleet in the Beta Draconis system, that only left around eighty men on the base. Thirty of them had headed south on the tank manoeuvres a short while earlier, so there were probably only a few dozen asleep in the barracks at the moment.

He was about to lead the girls across the gloomy gap between the Armory and the Barracks, when a sudden thought came to him. He paused, and a sly smile formed on his face.

Turning to the eager young women and man behind him, he said, "You three head on to the Backup Generator. Just follow the back wall around the Barracks, go past the Shield Generator building with the big dish on the roof, and it's the next one along. Set the charges, and I'll be with you shortly."

Tenten looked confused, and asked warily, "Where are you going? Splitting up wasn't part of the plan."

Naruto nodded at the heavily reinforced Barracks and said, "I won't be long. I'm going to make it harder for the sleeping troops to join the fight if the alarm gets raised."

The ravenette nodded enthusiastically, remembering how he'd wedged the door shut to the Main Generator and said, "Sounds like a good idea! We'll see you soon."

She walked up beside him, peered out around the corner of the Armory to check for guards, and then sprinted across the twenty meter gap, being careful not to stray anywhere near the illuminated path. Sakura and Sasuke darted out after her, a few paces behind, and Naruto watched the armored Pack disappear out of sight around the robust Ferrocrete wall of the Barracks. Checking to make sure that the way was clear, he ran across the gap towards the Barracks, and up to the double thickness Titanium door. Making sure no one was around, he summoned Psychic Fire and welded the door shut, the metal melting and fusing beneath the blue flames coming off his hand.

That done, and the mercs effectively imprisoned until they were killed in the orbital bombardment, Naruto activated Psychic Speed and caught up with his crew.

Meanwhile, back in orbit…

"Um, Hana, you might want to see this," Ino said, pulling up the Sector Map.

"Fuck!" Hana gasped, snapping the crew's attention to the Lieutenant. The even tempered brunette never swore, so it was even more shocking to hear.

"What is it?!" Gaara asked her worriedly.

Hana was gazing up at the local Sector Map, and their long range sensors had picked up an incoming fleet. She pointed at them and said, "It's the rest of the Cobras! There's TWO Carriers incoming, escorted by a Cruiser, and half a dozen Destroyers!"

"That can't be right!" Karin said, looking shocked. "There's no way they bought all those ships, and hired on new men, without it going through the accounts. Their accountant is fastidious!"

Shikamaru spoke up. "I've been reviewing the Colonel's emails. Looks like they've convinced another Mercenary Company, the Red Hornets, to join up with them," the AI explained.

"Alright, forget who they are and why they're here, we've got to assume they're hostile, and know we're attacking them," Hinata said decisively.

Hana looked up at her and asked, "Abort the mission?"

*Naruto?* The Matriarch asked her Uzu.

Naruto calculated their chances, going with years of military training and his gut feeling. *Attack the ships in system NOW! Take them out, and you should be able to handle the incoming forces, especially if Karin and Shikamaru can hack the ships.*

Hinata nodded, trusting her Alpha implicitly. "Battle stations, people! We strike now!"

Back with Fu…

Fu was following behind the three heavy tanks as they moved in a broad sweeping motion to flank the hill. She was trailing a few kilometers behind them, and was quite confident that they had no idea she was there. It was good fun stalking the tanks like this, but it was frustrating not being able to pounce.

The three hover tanks abruptly came to a halt, and slowly turned around, before heading back the way they came. *Looks like the tank column is returning to base,* she said, cautiously to the Pack mind.

*Fuck!* Hinata swore angrily.

Fu's cat-like eyes gleamed with excitement, and she said animatedly, *Don't worry, I'll keep them busy!*

*Be careful!* Naruto thought to her with concern.

Fu grinned, and swung the Raptor around sharply to flank the incoming tanks. They were lined up like nice little ducks in a row, as she powered up the gunship's weapons.

"Powering up weapons and shields," Hana stated, as Hinata brought the Invictus around towards the group of Destroyers.

The sleek white model of their Assault Cruiser raced across the holographic system map, as though eager to leap into the fray. They charged towards the unsuspecting group of Destroyers that was making its way back to the Cruisers, and the mercenary ships had no idea that their doom was only moments away. The long fire arcs indicating the full reach of the Invictus' Mass Drivers overlapped the Destroyers, and the Inuzuka sprung into action.

Hana pressed the left thumb buttons on her weapon controls, then made a tiny adjustment with her targeting and hit the right thumb buttons a split-second later. The Invictus trembled twice as the first pair of two-hundred-meter long rails accelerated their shells to hyper-warp, followed almost immediately by the others. The huge shells raced out, leaving faint blue trails of tachyon particles as the ordnance slammed into each of the four destroyers that Hana had targeted.

Knowing Konoha ships like the back of her hand, she had sent each shell slamming into the Bridge of all four Destroyers. Without their shields up, the heavy rounds had smashed through the thick titanium plating, leaving huge craters. The colossal force of that impact ruptured the hull, and triggered explosive decompression on each ship, instantly killing the Bridge crew. A moment later, the shells detonated in a huge explosion, ripping apart what remained of the devastated Destroyers.

Simultaneously, Hana pulled the triggers on her Beam Lasers, sending three coruscating blue lances into each of the remaining two Destroyers. Throbbing energy cut through the titanium armour and hull structure like a hot knife through butter, and having aimed at the power cores, both were speared through by the bright beams. One of the Destroyers immediately exploded, sending debris in a wide radius, while all lights on the other guttered and died, leaving it to tumble in space as a lifeless hulk.

Karin and Kakashi both gaped at the amazing display. Six ships taken out in two seconds! Kakashi suddenly had much more respect for Hana, while Karin reevaluated how deadly this ship could be, and she'd already had a high opinion.

"Bringing us around for the second group," Hinata stated calmly, turning the Invictus in a broad arc, and sending the ship racing towards the next formation of six Destroyers.

The laser cannons on the Raptor opened up, sending bright blue laser bolts smashing into the completely oblivious tank. Although the plating on the fifty ton vehicle was thick, the laser cannons were designed to punch through titanium armored ship hulls, and with half a dozen hits, they blew apart the tank chassis, causing the stricken vehicle to explode. The two tanks behind came to an abrupt halt, the crews stunned by the sudden destruction of their section leader.

Fu grinned as she banked right, walking searing laser cannon bolts into the second tank, whilst opening up with her six Gatling Lasers on the one at the rear. The second tank didn't last much longer than the section leader, and laser bolts blew apart the turret, triggering a magazine explosion that obliterated the second heavy tank. After spinning up for a second, the Gatling Lasers were carving huge furrows through the titanium plating, but it was proving too thick for the individual shots to penetrate. The terrified third tank crew away drove recklessly, desperately trying to escape the gunship's deadly ambush, as pieces of armor plating rained down on them from their exploding comrade.

Fu dropped the nose of the gunship as she cranked up the engines, which roared to life as they throbbed with power. Leaping forward, the Raptor rapidly closed the distance, with Fu opening up on the last vehicle with her laser cannons. It ground to a halt as a laser bolt smashed the engine, and it exploded shortly afterwards as she poured more fire into the now stationary tank.

Finding tank hunting to be great fun, Fu raced eastwards in search of the second flanking group. Now that her full sensor suite was active, the four tanks in the main group, and the three in the eastern flanking group were flagged on the terrain map. She raced east from her current position and smiled to herself when she spotted her next prey.

Tenten crouched next to the Backup Generator, carefully setting up the remote trigger on the second set of explosives, and making sure that it was linked correctly to the detonator. Two red lights were now shining on the detonator she carried on her belt, with a switch next to each that was currently secured by a restraining clip, to prevent accidental activation.

"All set?" Sakura asked over her shoulder, as she stood guard by the door.

Springing lithely to her feet, Tenten nodded and gave her the thumbs up. "We're all good to go!" she said with a grin, as she walked over to join the crew. They all nodded and used Psychic Speed to get to their next destination.

"They've taken the bait," Hinata said as she glanced up at the Tactical Map.

The two Cruisers were powering up their shields, weapons, and engines and had started to move from their geo-stationary orbit above SerpentHold base, and appeared to be engaging. From the data available to them, they seemed to be modern Torkan-class Cruisers. They were armed with six front mounted beam lasers like the Invictus, but they also had eight turreted heavy cannon on their topdeck, which boasted broad full frontal fire arcs.

Hana nodded, and said confidently, "I'll be done with this group shortly."

The second Destroyer group had reacted to their ambush of the first group, by powering up shields and weapons, then turning to attack. Hana had split her Beam Laser fire between the first two Destroyers, knocked out both their shields, but doing no damage. She left that to the Mass Drivers, and two pairs of shells smashed into the Destroyers, blowing apart the incoming ships before they could open fire.

The remaining four Destroyers flew gamely onwards through the broad debris field, which was all that was left of their two compatriots. Each Destroyer was armed with two Beam Lasers and six Laser Cannons, and they opened up with the Beam Lasers from medium range. Hinata had thrown off their accuracy with her evasive maneuvers, and three of the orange beams sailed wide, leaving only three to hit home. The beams slashed across the Invictus' shields, causing bright ribbons of energy to flare as the shields absorbed the incoming shots.

"Shields at 91% and recharging," Shikamaru reported.

Hana nodded distractedly, too focused on targeting the incoming enemy ships at the moment to be concerned about the Invictus' shields. The cooling icons next to the Mass Drivers, and the Beam Lasers on the weapon loadout display, disappeared just as they closed to Laser Cannon range. She targeted the rear Destroyers first, obliterating them with the same combination of Beam lasers to knock out the shields, then hyperwarp shells to rip apart their hulls. That left only two enemy ships, and she opened fire with the Laser Cannon batteries, sending a shower of laser bolts arcing out towards them.

Hinata flew straight between the enemy Destroyers, so Hana was able to unload full broadsides on both ships, hitting each with repeated impacts from the twelve Laser Cannons on each facing. The Destroyers only had three Laser Cannons per flank, so the volume of fire each side could unleash was hideously unbalanced. To make matters worse, the blindingly bright laser bolts from the Invictus had been powered up by the Uzu 0.5 Power Core, with the heatsinks keeping the barrels from melting.

Hana strafed laser bolts into the Destroyers, and their shields convulsed as they desperately tried to repulse such a huge amount of damage. By the time she had fired a second volley, their shields flared out and the laser bolts began to strike home, smashing into the hulls, and blasting big chunks out of the titanium plating. Now that the shields were gone, Hana aimed all twelve Laser Cannons at a point on the hull just back and below the engines. The shots tore through the tan coloured armor, ripped into the superstructure, then blew apart the Power Cores, and both Destroyers exploded within seconds of each other.

Karin was stunned once again, shocked that the unassuming Lieutenant was somehow able to independently target, and then eliminate both ships at the same time. What made it even more alarming was the way Hana annihilated both ships, with vastly more accurate shooting than Karin knew she'd be able to manage against even one.

"Shields at eighty nine percent," Hinata said jubilantly. However, her elation was cut short as she abruptly leaned forward in her chair and said, "Damn! The Cruisers are running away."

Karin looked up at the map, and was surprised to see that the two Cruisers weren't heading towards the planet. "Where are they going?" she asked in confusion. "Are they fleeing the battle?"

Hana studied the map for a moment, then shook her head, and sounded worried as she said, "No, they're regrouping with the incoming fleet!"

Fu watched the third tank explode in a satisfyingly bright explosion, and she swung the Raptor around, so that she could pursue the final fleeing group of four heavy tanks. The tanks only carried a pair of Gatling Lasers for anti-aircraft protection, relying primarily on air supremacy from the Destroyers and Cruisers to keep from being hunted by a gunship. Without the luxury of that kind of protection, they were sitting ducks against Fu in her Raptor, and they struggled to even hit her shields with her evasive flying.

The Nymph grinned as she closed on the final group of tanks, and they opened up with their Gatling Lasers, sending desperate streams of orange laser fire into the sky. She pressed the thumb buttons on her flightstick, and bright blue laser bolts from her Laser Cannons slammed into the rearmost tank. Her first shot blew apart one of the anti-grav cyclics, and the corner of the bulky, fifty ton vehicle crashed to the ground, digging out a huge furrow as it veered to the side. She kept her finger on the fire button as she performed a lazy roll, sending laser bolts into the next tank, as she easily evaded the incoming Gatling laser fire.

*Fu? Hate to spoil your fun, but we're about to free the prisoners and we'll need you for a quick getaway,* Naruto projected into her mind.

*On my way!* the Nymph replied cheerily, noting with satisfaction that the second tank had exploded under repeated hits from her Laser Cannons.

She powered up the Raptor's engines, bearing down on the fleeing tanks at high speed. She opened fire with her Laser Cannons as she raced ever closer, and the shots blew apart the turret on the tank second from the front. The heavy tank chassis seemed to have survived relatively unscathed, but she poured Gatling laser fire into the gaping hole in the hull, as the gunship roared overhead. The searing laser bolts hit the gunner in the head, killing him instantly, but miraculously the driver and tank commander cowering in the front of the vehicle survived unscathed.

Fu watched the last unscathed tank try and adjust its Gatling Laser turrets to track her, but the Raptor was much too fast. She felt a pang of regret at leaving any of them still alive, but she was so overjoyed at the thought of seeing Naruto again soon, she got over it immediately.

Naruto and his team ran over to the southern wall of the Command Center, and jogged along its length, trying to keep low to the ground and in the shadows as much as possible. The middle of the compound was more brightly lit than the outskirts, so Naruto hoped that no one would be wandering around this late at night.

Speak of the devil, a guy was leaning on the wall around the corner smoking a cigarette. Naruto grabbed him and held him against the wall by his throat while his three Pack members covered him. "Where are the kidnap victims?" Naruto demanded, the quality of his helmet's microphones such that he might as well not be wearing one.

The man literally pissed himself when he saw who was holding him in such intimidating looking armor. "In the bunker under the Command Center! Please don't kill me!"

Glad his Armor kept out odors, Naruto let go of the merc and prodded him with his Quantum Rifle. "You can be our guide. Now march."

"Here they come," Hinata said, and moments later, the two Carriers, the Cruiser and six Destroyers jumped in-system.

As soon as the new ships jumped into the Beta Draconis system, it became clear why the new ships were not listed on the accounts, or their crews on the personnel rosters. One of the Carriers, and the escorting Cruiser were colored tan and brown just like the rest of the Armored Cobras ships, but the second Carrier and the Destroyers were painted a bright red.

Hana reviewed the transponder codes as soon as the sensors retrieved them. "It is the Red Hornets. They must have joined forces with the Armored Cobras!"

"Like I said," Shikamaru said, a bit put out at being forgotten.

The Red Hornets Carrier opened its launch bays and two wings of Fighters blasted out into space, then grouped up into their respective wings. The Rapier class Fighters were small but highly maneuverable, and according to the technical readout on the Tactical Map, they were armed with a pair of Gatling Lasers. The two Carriers peeled off from the fleet, and headed towards the planet, while the Fighter wings raced ahead of them, clearly on some kind of urgent mission.

"Where are those Fighters going?" Karin asked curiously.

Hinata looked up at them in alarm, and reached out with her mind to the Nymph flying the gunship below, *Fu, you've got incoming fighters! At least twelve!*

The bluenette girl shared a worried look with Hana, who said, "Shall we intercept them?"

Hinata shook her head and said, "We'd never reach them in time. I've warned Fu, but we're going to have our hands full up here!"

Hana nodded grimly, and glanced up at the System Map. The retreating Cobra Cruisers had joined the formation of other ships, and now three mercenary Cruisers and six Destroyers were heading straight towards the Invictus.

Wolves of Uzu

Colonel Morgan Semias sprinted across the carrier's Hangar Bay, and straight towards his Exo-armor mech. He took the steps up the maintenance gantry two at a time, and barged past the mechanic who was currently feeding ammo into his 40mm autocannon from a loading hopper.

"Hey! Watch what you're do-" the mechanic blurted out angrily, before he stopped abruptly when he realized who was diving into the mech's cockpit. He then mumbled, "Sorry Sir, I didn't realise it was you."

Colonel Morgan ignored the man, as he buckled himself into the harness restraints of his command chair. He was fuming with anger, partly at himself for not tying up loose ends, and liquidating Police Captain Buckley of New Avalon's finest PD. Mostly with Captain Buckley for ratting them out, but also at this jumped up "Wolf of the Federation" who had the balls to mess with his Armored Cobras.

As soon as he'd received word from his mole in the Avalon PD, about what had happened with Captain Buckley, he had ordered his forces to abandon their Garrison duty and return to base. Sure, the Tetra-Cola company might be furious that he'd left his contract with them mid-mission, but he wasn't going to risk having his forces taken apart piecemeal.

Up until then, everything had been going so perfectly. He'd secured a deal with the Red Hornets, whereby that Merc group would agree to merge with the Armored Cobras, giving his own Merc Company some much needed fighter support. With their increase in stature, he was on the verge of forming the first Mercenary Regiment the Konoha Federation had ever seen.

That would teach those uptight High Command bastards for kicking him out of the army, after twenty goddamn years of dedicating his life to the Corps! Yeah, maybe that little rich bitch might have been just shy of eighteen, but it would have been brushed under the carpet if her daddy hadn't pulled some strings with the top brass and had him discharged. Still, he'd had his revenge, and made those rich bastards pay a fine price over the last few years.

Colonel Morgan snapped his attention back to the present as he began powering up his mech. He'd got some garbled nonsense from Captain Pickering, about some mystery white ship ripping their Destroyers to pieces. Then he'd been receiving frantic reports from Captain Mallor, that his tank group was being torn apart by some kind of special forces gunship. When Colonel Morgan's carrier group had arrived in-system, he'd laughed derisively when the white ship turned out to be an antiquated Assault Cruiser.

He had left Captain Pickering in charge of the Cruisers, and ordered him to knock out that white hulled relic, figuring that three to one odds would bolster the man's spine. Pickering also had the Red Hornets destroyers, and a wave of bombers as backup, so Colonel Morgan expected this little intrusion into his system to be over in minutes. These 'Wolves of the Federation' had fucked with the Armored Cobras and nobody lived to tell that tale!

Wolves of Uzu

Karin started typing furiously on the Intelligence console and at her vambrace. "Shikamaru, I've broken the rear Cruiser's firewall. Run these programs and you'll slave the ship. We can double-team against each of the other ships before I have that ship self-destruct." Turning to Hana, the Oto woman said "Fire at will, Tactical Officer," she said with a grin, even as the nine of Shikamaru got to work and the rearmost Cruiser flew on heedless of its fate.

Fu left the smoking ruin of the armoured column, and its handful of survivors behind her as she raced towards the mercenary base. Hinata had warned her of incoming fighters, and with her upgraded sensors, she saw them before they had spotted her. The Nymph quickly shut down as many systems as she could, flipping the sensors to minimal power on passive mode, and slowed the engines right down. Her energy signature crashed through the floor, making her all but invisible to sensors. Unfortunately, the Raptor was still bright white against a dark grey volcanic mesa, so she pulled up the nose on the gunship, and began to climb into the dense cloud above.

She didn't have to wait long before the two waves of Fighters came screaming down from low orbit, then began to circle directly above the mercenary base. They held position there for a minute before they peeled away, heading south, on a direct intercept path with the Armored column she had devastated minutes beforehand. Fu rotated the Raptor so she was facing south as well, hovering silently in the dense white cumulus cloud, invisible to both sensors and visual spotting alike.

The first wing of Fighters raced by underneath her, and she began to power up the gunships engines, as the second wing tore towards her, heading south at speed. Fu cranked up her speed to match theirs as they flew beneath her gunship, then dropped out of the cloud cover directly behind the Fighter wing. She glanced at each Fighter in turn to lock them into the targeting system, then grinned wildly as she hit the thumb button, sending bright blue blasts of laser energy into the central fighters. The Red Hornets pilots were so shocked by her surprise ambush, that they didn't even have time to react.

The Red Hornets fighters relied on speed and agility, not shields and armor to protect them, and the laser blasts blew apart the fragile craft instantly. She cut loose with the Gatling Lasers at the same time, and after whirring up with an angry hum for a second, the six weapons scythed through the lightly armored fighters. One of the remaining three fighters exploded instantly, but the rest began to drop like stones, as she cut the wings off them with searing laser blasts that melted straight through the light armor.

A few kilometers ahead, the first wing banked sharply, looping around to get their vengeance on this impudent gunship pilot that had just killed six of their colleagues with a cowardly ambush. Fu grinned eagerly, and the Raptor surged forward to meet them.

The terrified mercenary prisoner stumbled ahead of Naruto on shaky legs, and led them around the corner towards the main entrance to the Command Center. His crew kept a sharp watch for any response from any of the watchtower guards, occasionally firing off a silent shot of an Unobtanium bullet when they were spotted.

Naruto waved the prisoner onwards with the barrel of his Quantum Rifle, and the man stumbled up the steps to the DNA reader by the side of the door. The merc put his trembling hand on the device, and the double reinforced door unlocked with a solid thunk, then swung open smoothly.

"After you," Naruto said quietly.

The merc nodded, then walked into the room beyond. It was a long corridor that had several nondescript doors leading off it. The frightened man walked over to the second door on the left, then opened it hesitantly, before walking inside after some prompting.

"Hey, Dan! What's going on?" a casual voice asked from inside the room.

Naruto strode in after the mercenary, and the three men in light armor looked at him in shock. Naruto raised his Quantum Rifle and, firing at Psychic Speed, had all three down with headshots within two seconds. The rest of his team filed into the room, looking for any other threats.

Their guide had curled in a ball, whimpering with fear, so Naruto crouched down and said grimly, "Keep going, or you're next."

The merc nodded frantically, and staggered to his feet, leading them to a set of steps on the other side of the room. The steps led downwards, to an underground room, which was dominated by a circular, solid titanium door set into the far wall. Naruto followed the merc down the steps with the three Pack members in their wake.

"Alright, open it up," Naruto said to the merc.

The man walked up to the DNA reader set in the wall, and when he pressed his hand against the panel it glowed blue and said, "Welcome, Lieutenant Clark Daniel."

There was an ominous grinding noise, and the titanium door rumbled slowly towards them for half a foot. It then stopped and rolled ponderously to one side, revealing a dimly lit bunker behind it. Naruto walked up behind Lieutenant Clark and nudged him with the barrel of his rifle, pushing him forward. There were half a dozen rooms along the left hand side with what looked like glass panels and doors sealing in the inhabitants. Several dejected looking women sat in the small cells, staring listlessly into the distance. Two small children were in the last room, a little boy of about five, and a girl of about eight, who were pushing a small toy spaceship between them half-heartedly.

Sakura looked ashen when she saw these women, and Naruto turned to look at her. "Are you doing okay?" he asked her with concern, and she looked up at him, then nodded bravely.

Tenten had a puzzled expression on her face as she asked, "With these glass walls, won't the women you ransom off be able to identify you when they get back home?"

"One-way glass," Lieutenant Clark said shiftily.

"How do we open them?" Sasuke asked him curtly.

The mercenary lieutenant walked over to a desk on the other side of the room, and pulled open a drawer. He retrieved a keyring with half a dozen electronic keyfobs attached, and handed it over with a shaking hand. Naruto grabbed it, then passed it to Sakura, who dashed over to the cells and began unlocking them. The first woman scrabbled backwards, and looked wary as Sakura swiped the keyfob through the lock and unsealed the door. The kidnap victim looked greatly relieved when she saw it was a woman opening up her cell.

"My name's Sakura. I'm here to rescue you," the rose haired girl said soothingly.

The prisoner sobbed with relief, and then ran over to hug the startled teenager. Sakura smiled at her reassuringly, held her tight for a moment, and then ushered her out of the room. Tenten walked over to the woman with a warm smile on her face, and greeted her in a friendly voice, letting Sakura move on to the next cell.

Naruto turned his attention back to the trembling mercenary prisoner and said, "How many Cobras are here on the base?"

"42 in the Barracks, 8 on the watchtowers, 10 in the Command Center including me, but I don't know how many you killed," the mercenary managed to gibber out.

Naruto's eyes narrowed, and he asked, "Where are the rest?"

"Command and Control," the merc replied hesitantly. "Door opposite us on the central corridor then it's a big room upstairs. You can't miss it."

"Alright, get in that first cell," Naruto growled, and the man made stumbling steps towards the small room.

Growing impatient, Naruto shoved him in, and the merc staggered inside as Naruto sealed the door behind him. He turned to Sasuke and said, "Guard the door behind me. I'm going to clear out the rest of the mercs in the Command Center."

Sasuke nodded, while the girls handled the prisoners and explained the situation to them. Naruto waited until he was out of sight of the door and then engaged Psychic Speed.

The three Armored Cobras Cruisers bore down on the Invictus eagerly, confident of a quick and easy victory. They were flanked on the starboard side by the group of six Red Hornets Destroyers, and the scarlet colored Carrier heading towards the planet launched two wings of Bombers, that had then flown in to support the Cruiser group.

Hana cracked her knuckles, and took one last glance at Hinata before turning to focus completely on the incoming targets.

Hinata looked over at Karin, who had been gazing intently at the overhead Tactical Map. The blue-skinned woman seemed to sense the bluenette girl's attention on her, and looked up at the podium, nodding confidently.

Meanwhile, in the Armored Cobras Cruiser at the rear of their formation, Captain Pickering Abraham sat in his Command Chair, watching the engagement on the Tactical Map. He had been shocked to the core earlier, watching impotently as the white hulled ship cut his Destroyer groups to pieces. Now he'd had a chance to think it over, he realised the white Cruiser amassed just enough firepower to overwhelm each group piecemeal. He was feeling jubilant now, as his three state-of-the-art Cruisers bore down relentlessly on the solitary Assault Cruiser. Up against three incredibly resilient Cruisers, which each individually boasted greater firepower than the glorified troop transport facing them, he knew the other ship stood no chance at all.

"Fire as soon as we're in range, Lieutenant," he ordered his tactical officer, and the man nodded in reply, a broad grin on his face.

Suddenly there was a shower of sparks from the left side of the Command Deck, and the power on the Bridge guttered and died. The emergency lighting cut in a few seconds later, casting the room in a dim red glow, and the holographic maps reappeared after a brief pause, flickering intermittently.

"What the fuck was that?!" Captain Pickering said in shock. He glanced at his Chief Engineer who sat below him and to the left of the Command Podium, and shouted, "Lieutenant Maverley, what's happened to the power?"

The seasoned veteran Engineer looked just as shocked as Pickering felt, and rubbed his beard as he shook his head. "I've no idea Captain! We just lost main power to the Bridge," he said in disbelief.

The holographic viewscreen suddenly crackled to life and a horrifying purple face stared out at them, It had several wicked horns on its head, and had a mad gleam in its eyes as it chortled, "Evil Konoha! I won't let you hurt my Creator!" This was followed by a horrendous digitised screech, which sounded like a mixture of cruel laughter and a baby crying.

The Bridge stank of fear as Captain Pickering stared up at the purple apparition with dread. "W-w-what the fuck is that?!" he stammered to his Executive officer.

Pickering glanced at his XO, but the man was staring at the purple electronic demon with bug eyes, his face contorted with fear. The Chief Engineer suddenly gasped in alarm and cried out, "Our shields are down, and weapons are powering up, we're targeting the Naga!"

Pickering stared up at the viewscreen in horror, as the six beam lasers on the prow of his Cruiser opened fire on the rear of the friendly Cruiser. The tan and brown cruiser was hit by all six beams, causing violent splashes of cracking energy to arc over the protective dome from the searing impacts.

Lieutenant Commander Barnes from the Naga suddenly appeared on the viewscreen, and screamed, "Pickering! Cease fire goddamn it!"

Captain Pickering could only stammer helplessly as the white Assault Cruiser opened fire on the Naga as well. Blindingly bright Blue beams scythed into the front of the Armored Cobras Cruiser, and the shields crackled and sparked as they were overloaded.

On the viewscreen showing the Bridge of the Naga, a terrified mercenary engineer shouted out, "They blew out our shields, Sir!" Lieutenant Commander Barnes replied in shock, "That's not possible! No beams hit that har-"

The viewscreen crackled and went to static, as the white Assault Cruiser opened fire with its Mass Drivers. The four shells pounded into the Naga as the merc pilot desperately tried to pull away, and the hyperwarp shells smashed into the underbelly of the stricken Cruiser, creating huge impact craters before the shells detonated, sending armored plating and bits of torn superstructure spiralling out into space.

The violet demon returned to the viewscreen, its eyes glinting with a feral madness as it said, "Let's give them a hand, shall we? Hahahahaha!"

"Shut that fucking thing down!" Pickering screamed, but his engineer shook his head frantically, pointing helplessly to the unlit lifeless console in front of him.

The eight heavy cannons on Captain Pickering's cruiser pivoted slowly, locking on to the devastated Naga. They opened fire with a thunderous salvo, and huge shells pounded into the rear of the Cobras Cruiser. The four massive engines were hit by one enormous detonation after another, and the relentless destructive force of the explosions blew apart three of the engines, and ripped the fourth completely clear of the shattered hull.

Pickering's pilot cried out in panic, "Engines have been shunted to maximum power, Captain! Safety overrides are off!" He stabbed buttons on his console in vain, as their ship surged forward, while banking slightly to starboard on a direct collision course with the immobilised Naga.

"RaMmING SpEeD!" The purple electronic demon cried out, chortling insanely.

Aboard the Invictus, Hinata and the Pack had watched in astonishment as the rearmost mercenary Cruiser had suddenly opened fire on one of the lead Cruisers. The Lieutenant had reacted instantly, and unloaded their Beams as well, knocking out the enemy ship's shields and making them vulnerable to their Mass Drivers. The Naga's pilot had rolled their ship and pulled up frantically, in a normally insane maneuver that exposed their belly to the enemy.

It turned out that this panicked action saved their Bridge from instant annihilation at Hana's waiting hands, and instead she had to content herself with knocking out the port and starboard power converters. The rearmost Cruiser continued to open fire on its mortally wounded compatriot, but this time with a massive barrage from its heavy cannons. It then charged forward, ramming into the crippled cruiser with a colossal impact. Armored plating on both ships buckled and twisted under the calamitous impact, and a long rippling series of internal explosions seemed to shudder through the Naga. Suddenly the power core ruptured, and engulfed both ships in a tremendous blast, which incinerated both vessels in a blindingly bright explosion that sent debris cartwheeling away in all directions.

"I quite enjoyed that," Shikamaru said smugly, returning from the Cobras' computers.

All the other vessels in the system had ceased firing, as they watched in stunned disbelief at the treacherous actions of the rearmost Cobras Cruiser. The Destroyers were the first to snap out of their trance, and they abruptly turned tail, yawing swiftly to port while they were still out of range of the Invictus. The Red Hornets bombers and Carrier also seemed to have a change of heart, and they also fled towards the Nav Beacon. They wanted no further part of this fight, or any further association with the Armored Cobras, who were clearly insane.

Hana reacted next, and opened up with a salvo of their six Beam Lasers on the previously untouched remaining Cruiser. Its shields sent bright ribbons of light cascading outwards in pulsing circles as the powerful lances of laser energy slashed across the front of the Cruiser. The Cobras Tactical Officer was an expert gunner, and hit with five of his six Beam Lasers, but the shields on the Invictus were strong, heavily boosted by Uzu 0.5 technology.

"Our shields are down to seventy four percent," Kakashi said after a quick glance at damage control, this being the second beam laser volley they had taken from the last Cruiser.

The Lieutenant nodded eagerly, allowing herself a confident grin as they closed to Laser Cannon range. By the estimates from the tactical computer, the shields on the enemy Cruiser were down to less than fifty percent. Hinata turned to port, then rolled the Invictus to the right, so that they would pass the Cobras Cruiser facing them with their topdeck. That meant Hana could open fire with the sixteen upper mounted Laser Cannons, and a punishing cascade of laser bolts began to slam into the other ship's shields.

The Cobras pilot copied their maneuver, and soon both ships were circling each other, while exchanging vast broadsides of laser energy. The Invictus had more powerful Laser Cannons, and stronger shields, so the result of this fight was a foregone conclusion.

Hinata guessed that the Armored Cobras mercs must have realised the same thing, as their Cruiser's shields looked more and more feeble, while Hana raked them mercilessly with laser blasts. She had Gaara open a comm channel to the mercenary ship, and after a brief crackle, the face of a middle aged, dark haired man appeared in the view-screen.

She smiled at him, and said cheerily, "Hi! This is Hyuuga Hinata in command of the Invictus. We're about to kill you, and all your men. Please let me know if you'd like to surrender, or I'll just let my Tactical Officer finish you off."

The man looked stunned that this young girl was in command of this lethal ship that had ripped apart his fleet, and he faltered a moment.

Hinata frowned and said, "I'd make my mind up quickly! It doesn't look like your shields can take another volley."

"Nice bluff little girl," the mercenary commander said derisively, "but we can take a few hits, and your shields won't last much longer, then our heavy cannons will rip you apart!"

Hana's next salvo of Laser Cannon fire rippled over the mercenary Cruiser's shields, causing blue pulsing circles in the shimmering sphere, before they finally faltered and collapsed. She had been aiming at the big guns on the top deck of their Cruiser, and the mercenary ship shuddered violently as one of the Heavy Cannons was hit by several laser bolts, causing it to explode. The mercenary Bridge crew were shaken by the impact as the Heavy Cannon detonated, and it wiped the sneer off the mercenary commander's face.

Hinata looked at him with a puzzled expression on her face, as she asked, "The Heavy Cannons she's shooting off your hull?" She glanced at her console, and frowned as she added, "I'm afraid our shields are still over half strength. They'll last quite long enough for her to get bored of tearing your ship to pieces..."

Two more trembling impacts occurred in rapid succession as a pair of Heavy Cannons were blown apart in the next devastating cascade of laser bolts.

"She's right!" a desperate looking merc shouted behind the commander. "They completely outclass us, we're totally fucked!"

Reacting quickly the mercenary commander said, "Alright! Alright! Hold fire, we surrender!"

Hana immediately stopped shooting, while Hinata smiled at the man graciously. "Great! Now power down your weapons and engines, then wait here for further instructions. If you move, and force us to hunt you down, I won't give you a second chance to surrender. Clear?"

Nodding dejectedly, the man asked, "Who are you people?"

Hinata grinned at him, and said enthusiastically, "We're the Wolves of the Federation!"

She closed the comm channel, then brought the Invictus out of the death roll with the other Cruiser. After powering up their engines to full, she pointed the Invictus straight for the planet, SerpentHold. They still had one last ship to stop.

*I've finished off the Command Center mercs, and I'm on my way back,* Naruto said into the Pack mind, updating the crew. At Psychic Speed, it had been a piece of cake. Naruto almost looked forward to going up against Pein's cyborgs at some point, just so he'd have an actual challenge.

He began to walk briskly back to the bunker, when Hinata's worried voice came through to him clearly. *Naruto, we've got trouble!*

*Are you and the Pack alright?* he asked her, concerned for their safety.

Hinata answered him quickly and said, *We're fine. We've taken out two of the Cruisers, and the last one surrendered.*

Naruto grinned as he jogged down the stairs, and said proudly, *That's amazing! Great job.*

The psychic bluenette then said urgently, *Thanks, but that's not the problem. The Carrier with the Exo-armoured mercenaries is right above the base, they've started dropping mechs!*

Swearing profusely, Naruto vaulted over the banister, skipping the last set of steps and sprinted out into the hallway. He ran full tilt towards the heavy doors to the Command Center, and shoved open the door. Sure enough, the huge, six hundred meter long Carrier loomed overhead, hovering only one hundred meters above the ground. From this range, he could see the hangar doors open on the side, as Exo-armored troopers stepped out from the Carrier.

He watched one of the fifteen-feet-tall armoured behemoths plummet towards the ground like a stone, only for retrothrusters to kick in at the last moment, and gently halt its fall. The mech landed unsteadily on its feet, before righting itself, and jettisoning the bulky jetpack from its shoulders. It raised the long barrelled autocannon built into its right arm, and began to unload shells at the entrance to the Command Center.

"Poom! Poom! Poom!" the autocannon rang out, as it pumped heavy rounds towards him.

Naruto had dived backwards as soon as he saw the barrel swivelling in his direction, but one of the heavy rounds struck him in the leg, and the impact sent him sprawling across the floor. The shell hadn't been able to penetrate his body armor, barely making a scratch against the Uzu superalloy. The rest of the autocannon rounds smashed into the door he had opened, ripping it in half, and blasting it off its hinges as the shells struck home.

Naruto scrabbled backwards as a volley of missiles struck the entrance way moments later, detonating in a rippling series of explosions, and the waves of force knocked him further up the corridor. Naruto avoided the worst of the explosion, but the heat and lick of flames scorched off the last of the black paint, leaving his armor white as snow once more.

*We're on our way!* Hinata said to him in alarm as she read his thoughts. *We'll be there as soon as we can. Hold on!*

Sakura's worried voice reached him on the Pack mind, as she said, *What's happening up there? It sounded like explosions!*

*They're dropping mechs in the compound!* Naruto replied, as he got back up in a crouch.

He aimed down the corridor, and a few moments later, the overconfident mech pilot strolled out in front of the scorched entrance, its heavy feet making rumbling clumping sounds with every step. It stooped down to look along the corridor, and Naruto opened fire with his Quantum Rifle at second setting.

"Prkaow!" the rifle chattered hissily as he fired a one round burst at the heavily armored mech.

Fortunately Tenten's innovative genius for lethal destruction overcame the Konoha Federation's defensive capabilities for the metal behemoth. The hyper-energized round slammed into the armored torso, sending it reeling backwards, as the Unobtanium slug smashed through the titanium plating, and punched a huge hole through the mech pilot within. There was a gout of crimson from the gaping rent that had been driven through the mech's chest, and it staggered backwards, before keeling over and crashing to the ground with a loud metallic clang.

*Get to the bunker!* Hinata said to him frantically, as he rose to his feet. *Move! Now!*

Hearing the urgency in her thoughts, Naruto darted through the door, and into the room with the bunker. He sprinted over to the stairs, and leapt down them three at a time. Stumbling slightly at the bottom, he staggered inside, where Sasuke caught and steadied him.

"Hold on to your butts!" Tenten grinned, as she brandished the detonator in her hand. She flipped back the safety restraints, and then stabbed her thumb down on the red buttons.

Wolves of Uzu

Colonel Morgan Semias had walked his mech out into position, and was standing by the Carrier's huge hangar bay doors. His men worked like a well oiled machine, and he had grinned with satisfaction as his elite mech platoon had combat dropped into the hostile LZ with perfect precision. He always went in with the first squad, his best and brightest. Mercs he'd hand-picked and worked with for eight years now, ever since he'd bought this Carrier and outfitted it with mechs. Several of these men he knew personally from his days back in the corps, and he had even convinced a few of them to retire from the Konoha Federation military to join him as a mercenary.

He looked down and could see his men fanning out, securing a perimeter around the drop zone, and he almost felt sorry for the poor bastards that had dared to attack them. He nodded to the second mech platoon that was moving into position, and he was just about to step out of the Carrier, when two thunderous detonations enveloped his base on SerpentHold. He looked on in horror as the colossal explosions ripped through the compound, flattening buildings and tossing the mechs aside like broken toy soldiers.

The shields on the Carrier prevented any debris or the explosion itself from reaching the hangar, and when the clouds of smoke finally cleared, he gaped in stunned disbelief at the destruction wrought below. Fires raged in the burning hellscape, illuminating the scene of devastation in flickering orange flames. There were now two huge craters where the main and backup generators had been, and the blast waves from those explosions had flattened the armory, barracks, shield projector and maintenance garage. The command center had partially collapsed, and looked like a sad, broken ruin of its once imposing sight.

"No..." he mumbled in shock, at the thought of the time, effort and money he'd invested in this base and the men that had been wiped out in an instant.

Wolves of Uzu

Fu yanked back on the flightstick as the three fighters on her tail sent long streams of orange laser bolts towards her from their wing-mounted Gatling Lasers. Her shields were out, but the hull of the gunship was pristine in several places where the Elite Red Hornet pilots had managed to hit her dodeca-shaped Invictium armor.

They had been in the middle of an intense dogfight for what seemed like forever, and it seemed that her surprise assault against the first wing had not given her an accurate appreciation of the skill of these pilots. The targeting computer was finding these quick and nimble fighters almost impossible to hit, especially with the Nymph executing such wild evasive maneuvers. She'd only been able to destroy three of them by taking control of the turreted Gatling Lasers from the outmatched targeting computer, and concentrating on aiming the weapons herself. Although she had been able to take out half the wing, when her shields had gone, she knew that she had to concentrate purely on piloting or she was doomed. Not from laser bolts, but from Naruto's disapproval.

Fu decided that she really didn't like Fighters very much.

The Nymph concentrated on making herself more dense, increasing her resistance to G-Force, then yanked the flightstick to the right, and rolling the Raptor through several tight spins. This threw the fighters off her tail for a couple of seconds, and gave her an opportunity to yank back the flightstick and bring the Raptor up in an incredibly tight loop.

At the speed she was going, the G-forces were incredible, and the G-Force meter went off the scale, flashing red and blaring a warning. She felt herself get a bit lightheaded, but managed to maintain consciousness. The Red Hornet pilots had followed her into the loop, and while their fighters were more agile and maneuverable than the Raptor, the pilots were Konoha, and faced with all their physical limitations.

Fu flipped to manual control of her guns, and when two of the pilots blacked out, she cut the Fighters in half as they sailed past her. The last Fighter gave up on the loop, choosing to retain consciousness whilst losing his prey, and he raced away into the clouds. Fu levelled out of the loop, then turned to pursue the fighter, and while they had agility on their side, the Raptor had raw power. She cranked up the engines, and there was a sonic boom as she blasted through the sound barrier, rapidly increasing her speed, and catching up with the last of the Red Hornet Fighters.

The Pilot had seen more than enough of Fu's fearsome skills, and was desperate to flee, pulling up and climbing for orbit. Unfortunately for him, Fu wasn't in a forgiving mood, knowing that she'd get a worried look from Naruto for putting herself in danger. She opened up with all six Gatling Lasers, and the bright blue laser bolts sliced through the light armor, cutting the enemy Fighter to pieces.

She breathed a sigh of relief, and brushed the back of her hand over her brow. If she sweated, it would have been pouring off her by now. Hinata had been keeping her informed about events up in space, as well as those down on the ground, so Fu turned the Raptor and raced towards the Cobras base. Even from this distance, dozens of kilometers away, she could see the smoke from the explosions rising up above the horizon.

Down in the bunker, the ground had seemed to lurch under their feet when Tenten's explosives had been triggered, and all the lights went out as a deep bass rumble echoed dully through the room. The freed prisoners screamed in panic, until Sakura activated the outer lighting on her armor, bathing the room in a soft white glow. Dust was thick in the air, and they could see motes of it in the dim illumination from her armor. The kidnap victims coughed lightly, but seemed otherwise unscathed.

They were all crouched near the floor, and Naruto slowly rose to his feet, saying, "Is everyone alright?"

Tenten, Sasuke, and Sakura nodded, looking at him with wide eyes, while the freed prisoners all blinked owlishly in the gloom. Naruto walked over to the entrance, and above the stairwell, sections of the ceiling had collapsed, dropping girders and rubble across the stairs. He carefully approached the rumble strewn stairwell, to see how bad the collapsed ceiling was.

"If you move that girder there, you should be able to lift most of it out the way," Tenten said, peering over his shoulder in the half-light.

Naruto nodded, and said to her, "Sure, I'll give that a try. Back up a little so I'm not worrying about you being hit by rubble."

Tenten grinned at him affectionately, then did as he asked, scampering backwards, and ducking back into the bunker. Once she was well clear, Naruto reached up, taking hold of the huge steel girder that had smashed through the ceiling and brought it down on the stairwell. He flexed his muscles and with an ominous groan, and a shower of dust and stones, the huge girder creaked upwards, lifting the collapsed ceiling with it.

The two little children were sitting next to Sakura, cuddling her tightly as she knelt next to them, as they watched Naruto lift the huge girder out of the way. The women prisoners were watching in amazement, while the children had looks of awe on their faces.

"Is he a superhero?" the little boy asked in wonder.

Sakura laughed, and smiled as she looked down at him, then said gently, "No, he just ate all his vegetables."

"Is he your boyfriend?" the little girl asked curiously.

The other women all laughed at that, and Sakura blushed, then nodded as she said, "Yes, he's my boyfriend."

The little girl sighed and said, "When I grow up, I want a boyfriend just like that."

Sakura nodded and said softly, "I'm a very lucky girl."

Mallor Hitch stared in shock at the shattered remains of the Cobra base, as his heavy tank raced back up the slope to the plateau. He and his men had seen the huge explosions at the base, but now, seeing it flattened and burning like this was something else entirely.

Their Carrier was hovering overhead, and Hitch recognised the distinctive shape of Colonel Morgan's Command mech standing in the doorway to the hangar bay. The Carrier was suddenly struck by six bright blue beams, and before Hitch's horrified eyes, a huge white spacecraft descended out of the clouds, and began unloading Laser Cannon blasts on the Carrier.

The Colonel and his remaining mech platoon began to jump out of the Carrier, dropping like stones as they fell from the huge vessel. Hitch felt a surge of relief when the Colonel seemed to get clear, but that was short lived when one of his men yelled in fear, "That fucking gunship is back!"

The white hulled ship raced in, and bright blue laser bolts started ripping through the falling mercenaries in their mechs. The pilot was just as merciless with the mechs as they had been with his tank column, and both men and machines were cut to ribbons by lethally accurate laser fire. The white Cruiser opened up as well, and the bright curtain of blue laser bolts meant instant death for the unfortunate mercenaries who had tried to jump to the base below.

An ominous clang on their tank's hull had Hitch staring at his tank crew with wide eyes. "What the fuck was that?" he said to the gunner in a hushed voice.

The gunner stared back at him on the verge of panic, and started to reply, when there was a horrific tearing screech of twisting metal that drowned out anything he might have said. The four men sitting in the tank looked up in horror as the turret was ripped effortlessly off the hull. They gaped in shock at the man who had torn the top off their tank, just as easily as if he'd opened a can of sardines, and he casually tossed the mangled turret aside.

"Any last words?" the man asked curiously, as he unshouldered an evil looking white rifle, pointing it towards the gaping hole above the mercs.

"You fucking bastard!" Hitch shouted at him angrily, and was gunned down a second later.

Naruto rolled his eyes, and said, "Very profound."

Wolves of Uzu

Colonel Morgan Semias landed on the rubble strewn remnants of his base, and grappled with the controls of his mech as he labored to keep it steady. He jettisoned his drop pack, and looked around, trying to get his bearings. He glanced upwards to check to see how his second platoon were doing, and gaped in horror as he watched a white gunship start shooting his men out of the sky.

Meanwhile, the white Assault Cruiser tore into his Carrier with its Laser Cannons, until moments later the Carrier's shields blew out, and laser bolts started striking its hull. He had no idea how that Assault Cruiser wasn't blown into a million pieces by his Cruisers, but it seemed totally unscathed. It began to open fire with dozens of Gatling Lasers, targeting any mechs which somehow managed to avoid the gunship. He watched the last of his men leap from the carrier's hangar, only to be tracked and hit by eight Gatling Lasers, which cut him clean in half. The upper and lower sections of the mech fell to the ground in two separate glowing pieces.

He flinched as there was a big explosion on the Carrier, and it yawed to starboard, tipping away from the base. The white Assault Cruiser pivoted in place, and as soon as the Carrier was clear, six blazingly bright blue Beam Lasers slashed across the engines, slicing them in half in a series of explosions. The carrier dropped like a rock, and although Colonel Morgan couldn't see it crash, he felt the tremors of the impact through his feet.

Gone. All of it. Every last man and bit of equipment he'd painstakingly gathered over the last ten years had been ripped apart in just under an hour. Overwhelmed with rage and grief, he yelled out his pain and anger in one long bellowing release. As he sat in his command chair afterwards, panting with the exertion, he looked up, and saw a white armored man with a Wolf on his breastplate striding towards him.

"You..." he snarled through gritted teeth, feeling the hate rising up, and coloring his vision red.

Flipping a switch on the external speakers, he roared, "Fight me one on one, 'Alpha of the Federation' if you've got the balls!"

The white armored man strode towards him confidently, and Colonel Morgan grinned with anticipation. He readied both his 40mm autocannons, and his shoulder mounted rocket pods, training them on Uzumaki Naruto as he walked calmly towards him.

"You're one cocky son of a bitch, I'll give you that," the Colonel grudgingly admitted.

He had the external audio ready, in case his opponent replied, but instead of some defiant challenge from Commodore Blake, he heard an odd sound from his right.

"Prkaow!"

Suddenly Colonel Morgan was in agony, and he gaped down in horror at the bloodied stumps where his hands had been. A twelve inch wide hole had been punched through the right side of his mech, and the slug had ripped apart the controls, and his hands with them. The mech tottered over, collapsing on its front, and he screamed with pain, thrashing in his chair.

A few moments later, the mech was flipped over, and the bolts holding the canopy securely in place snapped like twigs as the front was ripped off the mech. Through his pain, Colonel Morgan stared up at the man, and instantly recognised him as Commodore Uzumaki Naruto from the KFNN interviews. Naruto smiled at him, then turned to his left and said, "Nice shot, honey."

Colonel Morgan stared up at him in utter disbelief, and managed to mumble, "Why? What did I ever do to you?"

Naruto knelt down next to him, and said quietly, "Absolutely nothing. But you hurt my friend, so I decided to destroy you, and everything you'd built. Hopefully, it'll make her feel a bit better."

Before the shell-shocked colonel could reply, a black armored figure appeared in his view, holding a sinister looking rifle with a shimmer of heat coming from the barrel. The beautiful pinkette removed her helmet, and looked down at him, studying his pain contorted face.

"Do you remember the Haruno kidnapping?" the girl asked him in a voice throbbing with emotion.

He tried to think through the agonising pain shooting up his arms, and snarled dismissively, "Yeah, some rich bitch. We grabbed her years ago, but her tightass husband wouldn't pay up, so we killed her. What the fuck has that got to do with anything?!"

The girl's face crumpled with grief for a moment before she managed to control herself. She then looked down at him, and said softly, "Her name was Haruno Catherine. She was my mother, and I loved her very much."

Those were the last words Colonel Morgan Semias ever heard, as the girl slowly raised her rifle and shot him in his astonished face.


	47. Chapter 47

Fu had picked up the team as well as the hostages, flying them up to the Invictus. While they were in transit, a small Konoha Federation Fleet led by a Captain Munroe appeared in the system. The shocked Naval Officer, having been ordered by Vice Admiral Aburame Shino to aid the Invictus in wiping out the Armored Cobras, was amazed to find that the lone ship had managed to do it single-handedly. He had been more than willing to take custody of the damaged Armored Cobras Cruiser from a smiling Hinata.

The whole crew, even Lee, had gathered in the Docking Bay to welcome back Fu and the ground team. Naruto was shocked to see Karin among the group, and he sent her a grateful smile to acknowledge the work she'd done in protecting his crew. The blue-skinned Oto glowed for a moment, looking truly happy for the first time since Naruto had met her.

Naruto had settled the tearful but overwhelmingly grateful kidnap victims in the spare quarters on Deck Four, while Hinata set a fresh course for New Eden. Sakura went to her own room, to be alone with her thoughts, but Tenten insisted on going along to help comfort her. Naruto and the crew agreed between them that they'd do a debrief once the last of their business here was resolved, so the journey back to Sakura's homeworld was uneventful.

Hinata contacted Detective Walsh Karen, to let her know that the kidnapping victims had been rescued, and requested that they drop them off at Avalon Police Headquarters for the Police to help them return to their families. Karen agreed immediately, and was astounded to hear that they'd wiped out the Armored Cobras, who they'd confirmed were responsible for the plague of kidnappings.

Naruto, Hinata, and Sakura waved the rescued women and children goodbye, as they left them with Detective Walsh and her capable retinue of medical personnel and police officers. They walked back into the Raptor and sealed the loading ramp behind them.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Hinata asked Sakura gently, placing her hand on her friend's shoulder, and stroking her reassuringly through the material of her black skirt suit.

The pinkette nodded firmly and said, "I've been avoiding the estate for two years. I need to go back to make my peace with everything that's happened."

Naruto held her hand, and they followed Hinata up to the cockpit. The bluenette girl sat in the pilot's chair, powered up the engines again, then carefully lifted off as she added more power to the retrothrusters. The Raptor rose smoothly, and then turned and began to head west, flying away from the city. They sat quietly, not wanting to disturb Sakura as she grappled with her emotions, and after ten minutes, they received an incoming call.

"Incoming vessel, this is restricted airspace. Please identify your name and business," the man on the call said firmly.

Sakura leaned forward and said quietly, "Haruno Sakura. Here to visit my mother's grave."

There was silence for several long moments, before the man said respectfully, "Please proceed Miss Haruno."

Hinata followed the guide path, and they flew across acres of beautiful, well tended grounds. A huge mansion eventually appeared ahead of them, and Hinata looped around the massive stately home, following the green path on her HUD. She brought them down to land at the back of the mansion on a clearly marked landing pad, and they all stood together, then exited the Raptor.

Sakura led them across the fine gravel area, and the stones crunched quietly under their black leather shoes. They headed away from the mansion itself, and followed the pinkette to a well kept flagstone path, which led down a gentle hill towards a small lake surrounded by trees. The path ended by a small summer house that overlooked the lake, and Sakura walked off the path and over the neatly cropped grass. She walked under the willow trees and halfway around the lake until she stopped by a carefully tended grave. The headstone read:

In loving memory of

Haruno Catherine

Beloved wife and mother

"She loved this place," Sakura said, her eyes filling with tears. "I have so many fond memories of her here."

Naruto put his arm around her comfortingly, and she leaned her head against his shoulder. Hinata closed her eyes for a moment, then looked around once more, taking in the psychic remnants around the lake.

"You used to spend summers here, and played on a red boat on the lake," she said softly. "Then in the evening, you used to sit in the rocking chair together, on the veranda by the summer house. The two of you liked to drink hot chocolate, while you watched the fireflies over the lake."

Sakura sniffled as she looked around with Psychic Sight herself. "I'll consider it the greatest gift you ever gave me, giving me the ability to see her again. Thank you," Sakura sobbed gratefully. "You don't know what this means to me."

Naruto and Hinata held the overcome girl, comforting her in their arms as she stood between them, her shoulders trembling as she wept for her lost mother. Eventually she pulled back, and breathed a deep sigh.

They walked back up the hill a couple of hours later. Sakura was quiet, but at peace, and she walked hand-in-hand with Naruto and Hinata as they headed towards the mansion. A man in a smart business suit was waiting for them by the gravel area at the top of the hill, and his eyes widened slightly when he saw them approach. His attention was completely on Sakura, and he appeared to be studying her intently.

Sakura stopped when they reached him, and let her hands slip out of Naruto and Hinata's.

*Go ahead to the Raptor,* she thought to them. *I'll join you shortly.*

Nodding, Hinata and Naruto walked away, leaving the girl with her father.

Haruno Henry stared at his daughter for a long moment, then his eyes darted away, and over towards the lake. The site of her mother's grave.

He looked back at Sakura, and his eyes grew heavy with sorrow as he said haltingly, "Sakura, I'm so sorry."

She smiled sadly, and nodded, then walked over to him and wrapped him in a warm embrace. "I forgive you, Daddy," she whispered to him, as he hugged her tightly.

After Sakura said her goodbyes to her father, she joined them on the Raptor and they flew up and away from New Eden, on the way back to the Invictus waiting in orbit.

What followed was a very lengthy debriefing, and not the fun kind. The crew had all gathered, even Lee, whom Karin eyed with distrust and confusion, in the Briefing Room. Then Naruto had each individual member of the crew go over their version of the events they'd experienced during the whole Armored Cobras episode. It got a bit repetitive, but it also revealed new insights from fresh new angles. Karin was shocked to find herself included in the debrief, and faithfully described her role in things without any snark or anger.

After that, he sent everyone to grab some much needed sleep before breakfast, it being close to 0500 Konoha Standard Time. The crew all had the privilege of giving him a goodnight kiss, which Karin keenly felt the absence of on her part. She was still in denial about her feelings, but was quickly succumbing to them. It was kind of hard 'not' to fall in love with Naruto. He pulled you in and filled your life with light like a sun.

Naruto stayed up to craft an After Action Report and called Shino, whom he was sure was still up dealing with the Armored Cobras fallout.

He was.

Although the evidence against the Armored Cobras had been damning, Shino had been catching some flak from senior officers in High Command, who had previously sanctioned the use of the mercenary group. Worried about possible bad press, when there was already a tense public mood due to the Dragon March conflict, the Konoha Federation military were desperate to avoid news of the rogue merc group's criminal origins from getting out. Shino had therefore had some choice things to say about Naruto's spontaneous bit of summary justice.

"Why not just own the story?" Naruto had eventually suggested in exasperation, growing weary of being chastised for vigilantism. "Say that Konoha Federation High Command suspected something was amiss with the Armored Cobras, and they sent us, 'the Wolves of the Federation', to get to the bottom of it. Then they look like they're rooting out any bad elements, and can claim the moral high ground. Besides, we rescued half a dozen kidnap victims, and a few interviews with them reunited with their families will sell whatever story you want."

Shino had been taken aback by this, and he studied Naruto suspiciously as he asked, "Have you been taking Public Relations training since you retired?"

Naruto shrugged and said dismissively, "People will accept any story you tell them, as long as you put in the effort to make it convincing. In any case, the Konoha Federation legitimately seized the assets of that Merc group, so you've now gained a modern Cruiser to replace your losses in the Dragon March, and reclaimed a partially terraformed planet for free. High Command should be falling over themselves to thank me, not giving me grief."

Shino looked startled at his tone, but then looked thoughtful, and said, "I'm sorry Naruto, you're right. I'll discuss this with Admiral Senju, and see how we can spin the story for some positive PR."

They said their farewells, and once the call ended, Naruto had strolled onto the Bridge to confirm that a course had been set for the Iwa Republic. Satisfied that they were well on their way, he then joined the Pack in bed. His irritation with the debriefing had fallen away as he'd lain in bed with them, and they'd all drifted off to sleep almost straight away, everyone exhausted after the long and arduous day.

Naruto woke up first, as he usually did, in the positively cramped bed that just barely fit all ten of them. He gently nudged Lee in his left arm awake and, using Telekinesis, lifted them out of the bed and onto their feet. Hinata and Sasuke eagerly filled in the warm center and the others unconsciously adjusted to the extra room. Naruto led his sensei into the bath and soon they were both soaking in bubbly water.

"What brought this on?" Lee asked, confused at the individual attention this morning.

"You joined at a very tumultuous time. Usually, I pay much more attention to new members of the Pack. But with everything that's going on, I've just been feeding you meals and then going off with the rest of the crew doing something else. I wanted to make up for that," Naruto explained. "Take right now, for instance. I don't even know if I'm allowed to hold you."

Lee regarded him with steady eyes and then shifted so he could lean into Naruto's side. The Uzu eagerly wrapped the man in his arms. "It's been over ten years since I lost my wife. I don't regret building these new relationships with you and your crew. But until Pein and his empire has crumbled, my Ayumi and Kimiko will never be at peace."

Naruto nodded. "You know, when you're an Uzu yourself, you'll be able to revisit your old house and see the psychic remnants of them. It's not quite the same as seeing them again, but it's more than most get."

Lee sighed. "Your crew are capable of such wonders. Reading your dossier was like reading a fairy tale or myth. I joined you to gain that power, but now I feel I barely understand the scope of it."

"It's a heady tonic, no doubt about it," Naruto agreed. "I still struggle with the idea I'm a magical alien sex-wizard and I've had ten years to get used to the idea. I try to just live in the moment and accept myself for what I am."

Lee nodded. "That's the best that any of us can do." He furrowed his brows. "The dossier said that we'd have an Astral Bond after my third dose. I've had four and I don't feel any different."

*I blocked it to give you time to adjust. Also, because I doubted you wanted to be involved in yesterday's operation,* Naruto projected straight into the swordsman's mind.

Lee shivered despite the warm water as he experienced the Astral Bond for the first time. "You all feel this way with everyone on the crew?" He asked in awe.

"Well, Kakashi hasn't bonded with anyone else but me yet, and Karin isn't part of the crew. But otherwise, yeah, full mind meld with the Pack 24/7. We even dream together," Naruto said out loud, not wanting to overwhelm the man.

"No wonder you all love each other, if you know each other that closely," Lee mused.

"It's more we fall in love and then we Bond and it's just heightened to the next level," Naruto clarified. "Now, what say we dry off and we wake up the crew with your first feeding of the day?"

Lee nodded and went to the rack of heated towels, drying off his lean, mean frame despite being almost fifty. Naruto was quick behind him, and took Lee by the hand and took him to a chair, avoiding waking up the still-sleeping crew. Naruto sat down while Lee got on his knees. With a shared grin, they set about giving Lee breakfast.

When Naruto's quad had pumped out their contents into Lee's stomach, Naruto withdrew his manhood from Lee's mouth. He helped a gravid Lee to his feet and then led him to the bed, where the crew were waking up from the psychic feedback of Naruto's orgasm.

"So this is what it's like to be on the other side of things," Kakashi mused, shaking his shoulder-length white hair out of his eyes.

"Hell of a wake-up call," Fu said cheerfully, reaching out to stroke the proof of her master's potency on Lee's body.

Hinata molded herself to Naruto's side as they sat indian-style in a circle on the bed. "So, what's the order of the day?"

"Research and training, whatever everyone feels like. I was thinking, though, that we could make a slight detour from Iwa space to stop by Port Megara and visit Kuromaru," Naruto said, giving a grin at his Tactical Officer.

Hana's face lit up. "Oh, that's a great idea! I'll call to let him know we're coming. We're, what, three days away?"

Hinata glanced at the chronometer. "Bit less, we should get there before breakfast on the third day and it's almost 1000 now."

Sasuke cleared his throat. "Are we going to talk about Karin? She was interrupted when you offered her a place on the crew, and yesterday she helped out but she seemed almost jealous of the rest of us."

Tenten shrugged her shoulders. "She obviously wants you. She just doesn't seem to realize it herself. It's like she's scared to be happy."

"Can you blame her? You saw how messed up Oto culture was," Sakura defended.

"She might be attracted to Naruto, for genuine or genetically programmed reasons, but it might be the rest of us that are holding her back. She might fear being lost in the crowd, she doesn't understand the Pack mind," Gaara pointed out.

"I wouldn't be so sure. She's been muttering in Oto, not realizing we picked up a dictionary at Geniya. She's been playing 'I will, I won't' almost since she woke up," Shikamaru revealed, not caring he was breaching Karin's privacy.

Naruto perked up. "Well, why don't we talk to her instead of about her? Someone fetch her for breakfast while the rest of us get cooking!"

Hinata volunteered to get the daughter of Anko herself. She got dressed in a summer dress, and went down the red tube to Deck 4. She stepped out onto the floor and made it to Karin's door. She knocked firmly and called out "Karin? We're about to start breakfast if you haven't already eaten. And also, Naruto wants to talk to you."

There was silence for a moment and then Karin's subdued voice called out "I'll be up in a minute." Hinata nodded, and turned to leave. Behind the door, Karin was left to agonize over what to wear to impress her crush...es.

Naruto was making 5-egg omelettes to order for the Pack, with the exception of Lee who wouldn't be hungry again until 1400. When Karin came in, her violet eyes conflicted, Naruto popped his head out the Kitchen to smile at her. "Hey, Karin! What do you like in your omelettes?"

Karin managed a pale smile in return. "I'm sure whatever you make will be delicious," she said confidently, before taking her place at the foot of the table. She eyed Lee, or more accurately his belly, with ill-concealed jealousy.

*Goat cheese, spinach, and tomato,* Gaara supplied helpfully, having done a deep dive on her a couple weeks prior.

*Way to take the fun out of it, Gaara,* Naruto grumbled as he set about making the best omelette possible for his potential lover.

When everyone was plated and Naruto had taken his seat, everyone began to dig in, not subscribing to any one religious ritual before meals. Karin took a bite and fought back a moan at the explosion of flavor. They all were about halfway through their meals when Naruto cleared his throat.

"So, Karin, I was wondering if you'd considered the offer I made you a week ago," Naruto said leadingly.

Karin almost dropped a bite of omelette on her dress. She gulped and settled back in her seat, her stomach suddenly too knotted up for food. "Yes, I've thought about it." More like obsessed over it with every waking moment.

"There's no deadline, but I was wondering whether you had an answer for me by now. If you have any questions or concerns, I'm happy to answer," Naruto said with a generous grin.

Karin gulped. "What happens if both me and my mother are adopted as Uzu?"

"For one thing, Anko won't be on my crew. You'll be here on the Invictus while she stays on Guren. As for sex stuff, you never have to be in the same room together if you don't want to. I would never force you to commit incest," Naruto said comfortingly.

Karin nodded faintly. "But there will be… sex stuff?"

"Uzu are naturally horny and polyamorous. We all fuck like bunnies, as I'm sure you've gathered by this point. But if you didn't want one of us to touch you, all you have to do is say so and we won't. There's no rape on this ship," Naruto stated firmly.

Karin eyed all of them, imagining it based on the blush on her azure skin. "How would I stand out? How would I not be just another warm body in your orgies?"

Naruto chuckled, not unkindly. "Because you'd be Karin. We don't just rut like animals… well, not all the time. We make love to each other. We all care for each other for the unique individuals we are. Plus, you and I would have an Astral Bond, so I'd never forget about you. You'd be as much a part of me as a limb, and vice versa. And once you join the Pack mind, you'll be in touch with everyone's mind."

Karin tilted her head. "You… all share your thoughts with everyone? What about privacy?"

Naruto shrugged. "We can cut ourselves off or block certain thoughts when we want. But otherwise, yeah. What's the point of privacy when you completely trust the other person?"

Karin grinned ironically. "In Oto society, trust gets you killed."

"Well, in our society, it's what makes life worth living," Naruto countered. "But here's the trick: you only get it by giving it away. Hence why none of us trust you right now beyond trusting you to look out for your own self interest."

Karin took a deep breath. She eyed Lee. "As I see, you're already in the process of adopting another crew member. Would I have to wait until his process was complete?"

"Not at all! I have plenty of energy to convert both of you!" Naruto said enthusiastically.

Karin wavered for a second. She opened her mouth, and then closed it. "Thank you for breakfast. I'll get back to you later." With that, she stood and made for the door.

Kakashi couldn't stop himself. "Karin. He's not Orochimaru. He's not your mother. He really is as noble and good as he looks. He's worth it. Believe me."

Karin paused. "But am I worth it?" She muttered under her breath, though they all heard with their advanced senses. Then she was out the doors and down the red tube.

Naruto's shoulders slumped. "So it's a self worth thing. She doesn't think she deserves to be lifted out of the darkness. It's so tragic it's damn near poetic."

"She's spent her life being molded into a tool for her mother. She never got the chance to develop her own sense of self," Gaara, their unofficial therapist, reasoned.

"Well, whatever she decides, it's her choice. Even if she self-sabotages her way out of eternal happiness by saying no, we have to respect that," Hinata said sternly.

The crew nodded, finished off their food, and left to do their usual pursuits. The next two days fell into a comfortable routine. Lee would wake them by blowing Naruto, getting advice from Kakashi. Naruto would practice his swordsmanship against Sasuke under Lee's stern eye, then have a spar against the man himself before giving him lunch. Then Naruto would be free to relax by hanging out with one of the crew or swimming laps in the pool until dinner. Then one lucky girl would be chosen to feed Lee his dinner, while the men and other women kept themselves 'occupied'.

The morning they were due to arrive at Port Megara, Naruto was awoken by the feel of a very different hole than Lee's mouth. He opened his eyes to see Kakashi staring down at him, a look of rapturous joy on his face. "We debated after you fell asleep and we figured Fu hasn't had an opportunity to use her boob trick to feed anyone yet. So this is our compromise."

"I blow into you, Fu sucks it out of you, she feeds Lee? Inspired work, Kakashi," Naruto complimented. Then he flexed his dick and saw a bulge on Kakashi's stomach. "Now ride me, Oto slave. Your Uzu master commands it!"

Kakashi chuckled, not bothering to get into the roleplay. "My pleasure," he simply said before beginning to undulate and rock his hips.

Lee was a bit turned off by drinking cum that had been in an ass, but the sight of Fu with bulging breasts was too hard to resist, and the Pack all watched the weirdly arousing scene of Lee suckling on one of Fu's nipples and then the other, the size visibly shrinking as the 'milk' within was drained.

Having decided that just Naruto, Hinata, and Hana would go to keep the visit discreet and manageable, the rest dressed in casual clothes while the three got into their formalwear. Naruto and Hinata went with their matching charcoal suit and skirt-suit combo, while Hana went for a cream colored skirt and jacket with a white blouse. Once everyone applauded their wardrobe choices, they all grabbed a quick breakfast and made for the Bridge.

There were several space-faring alien species that had tiny empires dotted along the border between the Iwa Republic, and the Konoha Federation. Port Megara was the biggest outpost along the border with Iwa space, and this huge Konoha Federation Space Station in the Omicron Piscium system provided a convenient place for them all to meet and trade.

Port Megara was built along the familiar vertical "stack of plates" design used by most distant Konoha stations, and like the others they had visited before, the central ring was the largest by far. It housed the majority of the docking bays around its circumference, and there was a steady stream of oddly shaped merchant vessels heading in and out of the station. The merchant shipping belonged to the minor space empires in this quadrant of space, and to avoid squabbles breaking out between them, the Konoha Federation Navy enforced the peace with a substantial defensive fleet.

Gaara noted a light on his console indicating they were being hailed. He flipped the switch and a bored comms officer asked "Incoming Cruiser, please state your business here at Port Megara."

"This is Commodore Uzumaki Naruto aboard the Invictus. We're requesting docking clearance to visit a Doctor Inuzuka Kuromaru," Naruto said politely.

After a short pause, the comms officer replied, now much more animated, "Please proceed to Docking Bay 1, Commodore! It's an honor to have you visit the station, Sir!"

Before the comms officer ended the call, they could hear excited chatter in the background. Naruto glanced over at Hinata, and said wryly, "Looks like they might have heard of us."

Fu guided them towards Port Megara. Docking Bay One was very large, but their Assault Cruiser was much too big to fully dock in a station of this size. Instead Fu pulled up alongside the station, then guided them in with careful feathering of the retrothrusters, until the broad docking collar moulded to the Invictus' hull. Several loud clanks signified that magnetic docking clamps were now attached to their ship, locking them securely in place.

Naruto, Hinata, and Hana stood up and waved goodbye at the rest of the Pack. "Ino, stay on watch. Everyone else, do what you want with your day. Just be aware that we're heading into Iwa space by this evening," Naruto said in farewell before stepping into the red anti-grav tube. Hinata and Hana were soon after him. They stepped out onto Deck 9 and, on their approach, Shikamaru opened up the airlock, revealing the interior of the Docking Bay.

Kuromaru was waiting for them, standing just over 6 foot and wearing a doctor's white coat. Hana squealed and leapt forward to give her big brother a hug. The normally reserved Kuromaru returned her hug with energy and began to talk animatedly with his little sister, chatting and catching up with each other. Smiling, Naruto and Hinata strode over to meet the sibling pair.

Seeing Naruto approach, Kuromaru hesitated before snapping a salute. "Good to see you again, Commodore."

Naruto rolled his eyes and snapped his own salute. "You're my future in-law, Kuromaru, no need to stand on ceremony."

Kuromaru's eyes widened. His eyes darted for Hana's left hand. Hana batted him on the shoulder. "I'm not engaged. Yet. I know he's going to ask eventually, but he's keeping it a secret to surprise me," the Uzu female explained.

"Good luck getting Mom's blessing. And for the record, we have an audience," Kuromaru explained, looking to the left.

Naruto darted a look in the same direction, and saw half a dozen men in orange jumpsuits, which identified them as belonging to one of Port Megara's maintenance teams. They all jumped to attention when he looked their way, saluting him with enthusiasm. He saluted them back reflexively, then smiled at Hana's brother and said, "I would have thought it would take more than a handful of engineers to unsettle you, Kuromaru."

Kuromaru laughed then said, "That's true, but your growing fame has brought quite a few curious onlookers." He turned slightly and his eyes darted up and to the left, at the back wall of the Docking Bay.

Naruto followed his gaze again, and saw a clear glass viewing gallery that ran the length of the huge hangar. The entire fifty meter long window was full of people, all eagerly staring into the docking bay to get a glimpse of the Alpha of the Federation. He stepped to the side around Kuromaru, and looking up purposefully, he saluted his audience before giving them a friendly wave. The crowd went wild, and they could hear the muffled sounds of cheering through the reinforced glass. Hana and Hinata moved to flank him, and waved at the crowd too, beaming sparkling smiles at them. The cheering seemed to intensify, and Kuromaru watched his little sister, quite bemused.

After a minute of playing to the crowd, Naruto turned to Kuromaru and said, "Perhaps we could go and have a chat somewhere a bit more private?"

Kuromaru nodded, then led them through the broad double doors out of the Docking Bay, and along a corridor into the central section of Port Megara Space Station. "Brace yourselves," he warned them, when they arrived at another set of wide double doors at the end of the corridor. He pressed a button on the wall, and once the reinforced doors had whirred open with the quiet hum of servos, he led them through.

The corridor opened out into a broad plaza, which was designed in exactly the same way as that of Port Medea. There was a central park lined with trees and rows of shops around the edge of the plaza. They walked out into the shopping district, and both girls drew in their breath sharply.

Port Megara was a thriving trade hub, and the plaza was packed with people. Except they weren't meandering around the plaza, browsing for goods, they were all standing waiting for a glimpse of the Alpha of the Federation, and two of his Wolves. When Kuromaru led them into the plaza, the hushed silence was broken by a rippling cheer as the crowd clapped and whooped.

Naruto was shocked, but somehow managed to mask it. He glanced at Kuromaru a little wide-eyed, and said over the deafening cheers, "What's going on? We've never had this kind of greeting before."

Kuromaru smiled at him, and spoke loudly to make himself heard, "You've been on the news again! Just last night, actually. I'll tell you about it when we can hear ourselves think!"

He turned, and started leading them through the broad path between the excited onlookers. When they walked out from under the broad balcony on the second level, the noise from the crowd seemed to surge in volume as the people on the top level started cheering as well. Naruto walked through the open area as he followed in Kuromaru's wake, smiling at the excited people, and shaking the odd proffered hand. He glanced over his shoulder at the girls to check they were alright, and he grinned when he saw that they were loving the attention. Their eyes sparkled with excitement as they waved at the crowd, beaming bright smiles at the onlookers, who cheered for them all the louder.

Kuromaru guided them through to the elevators on the other side of the plaza, and they gave the crowd a final wave before the doors closed behind them, and the elevator started to descend. Naruto, Hinata, and Hana shared a glance, then burst into nervous, relieved laughter, their bodies coursing with adrenaline after the unexpected encounter with the crowds. Kuromaru smiled at them while trying to appear calm, but the slight tremble in his hand gave away the fact that he had found the walk through the crowd just as exhilarating as they had.

They sank down through a dozen levels, before stopping on Deck 27, and he led them out into a deserted corridor. He walked along ahead of them for a short distance, then pressed his hand on a DNA reader to the side of a set of double doors. The doors swished open quietly, and mellow music drifted out into the corridor.

"Welcome to Port Megara's Officers' Lounge," Kuromaru said with a smile. "We might get a few curious officers dropping by, but this is going to be as private as it gets. You're quite the celebrities now."

The lounge was deserted, apart from a bartender, who waved at Kuromaru in a friendly manner. Kuromaru walked over to some sofas in the corner of the room, then gestured for them to sit, as he took a seat on the sofa opposite. The bartender walked over briskly to take their orders, then strolled back to the bar to make their drinks, leaving them in peace.

Naruto let out a breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding, and said, "You mentioned we were on the news last night?"

Kuromaru chuckled and said, "Yes, I can't believe you haven't seen it." He turned in his chair and called across to the bartender, "Hey Pete! Could you try and find us KFNN's latest exclusive on the Wolves of the Federation?"

Pete the bartender looked up from the bar, and called back, "Sure! It shouldn't be too hard to find, they repeated it several times, and I saw it this morning too. I'll play the feed on the viewscreen to your right."

Kuromaru smiled at him, and gave him the thumbs up, before turning to look at his surprising guests once more. He shifted his calm gaze to his sister, and said, "You really have changed, Hana. The little sister I used to know would have been frightened out of her wits by that crowd, and I must admit I found it pretty intimidating. But there you were, playing the crowds like it was second nature. It was very impressive."

Hana blushed slightly, but smiled at him gratefully for the compliment, and said, "When you've seen as much action as we have recently, a crowd of excited civilians doesn't seem quite so daunting."

Her brother shook his head in admiration, and said, "I saw the video of you receiving the 'Lion Defender' medal. Congratulations by the way! Mom and Dad were both delighted."

When he opened his arms for her, Hana got up and sat next to him, and he gave her a big hug. "They both told me to give you a hug from them, so that was it," he said with a wry smile.

She laughed, and said, "Thanks. I've really missed you guys. It was lovely meeting up with everyone back on Jericho."

Kuromaru nodded and grinned at her, saying, "We definitely need to have a rematch after our draw last time!"

Naruto laughed and said, "Be careful, Kuromaru! She managed to knock me flat on my ass the other day."

Her older brother was about to reply, when the bartender arrived with a tray of drinks which he set on the table, and handed a remote to Kuromaru. He glanced at Naruto before he left, and grinned saying, "It's an honor to have you in my bar, Commodore. Keep up the great work!"

Naruto nodded at him, then glanced back at Kuromaru in surprise. Hana's brother turned to the viewscreen and said, "You probably ought to check this out."

He pressed the button on the remote, and the screen crackled for a moment as it turned on, before filling with the instantly recognisable view of the KFNN newsdesk. The image was frozen on the familiar face of an attractive, pale-skinned reporter, and the banner across the bottom said, Lead anchor - Ichiraku Ayame.

Kuromaru unpaused the recording and the reporter's voice drifted out to them clearly, "In a special report today, we have an update on the activities of Commodore Uzumaki Naruto, the Alpha of the Federation, and his crew of beautiful Wolves."

Ayame glanced to her left, and a holographic video appeared, playing footage of Naruto and the crew receiving their Lion Defender medals.

"You no doubt remember the last KFNN exclusive on Commodore Uzumaki's exploits, where he and his heroic crew rescued ninety-two passengers from the liner Excelsior, which had been hijacked by a notorious band of murderous pirates. In this amazing scoop for KFNN, I can reveal to you tonight, that this hero of the Federation has been hard at work, saving citizens from peril once again.

Working closely with Konoha Federation High Command, Commodore Uzumaki conducted a lengthy investigation into the mercenary group, the Armored Cobras. Acting on information provided by High Command, Commodore Uzumaki uncovered the mercenaries had a dark and horrifying past.

Previously known as the New Eden Serpents, this gang of criminals were involved with dozens of high profile kidnappings and murders, spanning over a decade. They used the vast fortune they acquired from their heinous criminal acts, to create entirely new identities for themselves, and establish their mercenary company. These new identities were so painstakingly detailed, it was impossible for the authorities to link these criminals back to their nefarious roots.

In the course of the investigation, Commodore Uzumaki discovered corruption at the heart of New Eden's Police Department! Captain Buckley Cliff had previously sold information on potential targets to the Armored Cobras, and under interrogation, revealed that the group had started up their kidnapping ways once again.

Commodore Uzumaki led his elite team on a rescue mission, freeing a number of helpless kidnapping victims, who were being ransomed by this evil group of mercenaries. Not content with simply freeing the prisoners, Commodore Uzumaki brought the hand of Federation Justice to bear on this band of murderers. We can reveal today that the Armored Cobras have been wiped out, their terrible crimes against humanity demanding swift and appropriate punishment."

Ichiraku Ayame then turned to her right, and a new holo-image showed several images of the prisoners they had rescued, being tearfully reunited with their families. Centered were the two children they had brought safely back to New Eden, running into the arms of their overjoyed parents.

While their mother hugged the children tearfully, the father rose and looked at the camera. A banner scrolling across the screen read, "Lexington Ashcroft III, CEO: Viebecht Corporation". In a voice thick with emotion, he said, "I'll never forget what Uzumaki Naruto did for my family. We were terrified we'd never see our children again, and here they are, safe and sound. Thank you Commodore, from all of us."

As that image faded away, another of the tender scenes expanded to fill the viewscreen, and they recognised one of the women they had rescued. The scrolling bar identified her as Lincoln-Beaumont Melissa, wife of Billionaire Industrialist Lincoln-Beaumont Pierce. She was being hugged by her husband and daughter, and she said to the camera fervently, "I owe the Alpha of the Federation my life! It's not every day you get to be in the presence of a true hero!"

The cameras switched back to Ichiraku Ayame, and she smiled at her audience and said, "Profound words indeed. We here at the KFNN team, wish to thank you Commodore Uzumaki, for protecting the hardworking citizens of the Konoha Federation."

Kuromaru switched off the viewscreen, and turned to face them, an eyebrow raised speculatively. "So, be honest with me. How much of that was bullshit?" he asked them, looking intrigued.

Hana shot a furtive glance towards Naruto, and when he nodded, she leaned in towards her brother whispering, "Keep this to yourself, but High Command had no idea what was going on. Do you remember we said we were going to add a doctor to the crew, and pick her up from the Dragon March?"

Kuromaru was staring at her intently, and he nodded, saying quietly, "Yeah. I saw all about your exploits against the Kumo on KFNN as well."

Hana nodded, then continued in a hushed voice, "Well, our new doctor lost her mother ten years ago, murdered by these New Eden Serpents. We were investigating the murder, and the clues led us to the Armored Cobras. The evidence we found was damning, and when we discovered they were still kidnapping and ransoming people, we decided to mount a rescue. We attacked them at their base, and freed their latest group of victims."

Kuromaru looked at her dubiously and he asked, "Whilst wiping out a whole company of mercs?"

His sister looked puzzled at his question, and replied, "We didn't completely wipe them out, we did capture one of their Cruisers."

He laughed and shook his head, before saying quietly, "No, that's not what I was struggling with. A company ranges in size from about one-hundred to two-fifty men, right?"

Hana brightened and nodded, seeing what he was asking, "Ah yes, they had just over two-hundred men on their roster. Most of them were in mechs or tanks though, and they only had three Cruisers, a dozen Destroyers and a Carrier. Well, at least after their allies, the Red Hornets, retreated."

Kuromaru chuckled, hardly believing his ears, and said, "I'm going to have a hard time convincing Mom I'm telling the truth when I give her an update on your latest adventures."

Hana beamed with pride at her Pack mates, pleased as punch that her mother took time to follow her exploits.

Naruto cleared his throat, then asked, "I guess you're probably wondering what brings us this way?"

Kuromaru's mouth twitched into a smile, and he put his arm around Hana to give her a squeeze as he replied, "Don't get me wrong, it's wonderful to see my little sister, but I did wonder why you dropped by."

"We're heading into Iwa space next," Naruto explained, watching Kuromaru for any reaction. "We heard some stories that the Iwa were firing on each other, and shooting at merchant shipping as well. Do you know anything more about these rumors?"

The olive-skinned man looked thoughtful, and replied, "I can't corroborate anything about the Iwa firing on each other, but we had a merchant rushed into the ER last week. He died on the operating table, but his co-pilot told me what happened to them. He said they were thinking about going into Iwa space to purchase some Gallanide ore, but they hadn't even made it into their territory when they were interdicted by a Iwa Frigate."

Naruto frowned at that and said, "The Iwa attacking civilian shipping in our territory is an extreme provocation. Why hasn't the Konoha Federation reacted?"

Shaking his head, Kuromaru replied, "I've no idea. I can try and set up a meeting with the Station Commander, if that would help?"

Smiling at him gratefully, Naruto said, "That would be brilliant if you could. Do you know the Station Commander personally?"

Kuromaru smiled wryly as he replied, "No, but I don't think that'll be a problem." He got up a moment later, then walked briskly over to a comms station off to the side of the bar.


	48. Chapter 48

Tenten put the finishing touches on her work, and stepped back to wipe the sweat from her brow. "Eureka!" she called out, in keeping with tradition of engineers everywhere.

Ino's voice came over the speakers. "It's so sophisticated compared to the Mobile Computer that made me! Is it really all for me?"

Tenten shook her head, her hair safe in their panda buns, and looked upon the second Uzu AI Mainframe she had constructed. This one was already linked to all the Invictus' systems, including a direct connection with Shikamaru's Mainframe so the two could keep in 'contact'. About the only crew member that didn't know he wanted to bang his digital sister was the girl herself. It was black at the moment, but would turn on the moment Ino uploaded her consciousness into it.

"Yep, all for you, babe. Just jump right in and feel your world expand," Tenten said theatrically. If she had a cane, she'd have spun it. She watched as the Mainframe lit up with purple radiance from within as Ino did just as she said she would, transferring her mind file into the empty colossus of the AI Mainframe.

"Wow!" Ino exclaimed "I thought the jump from 4 inches to life-size was a leap. Going from one self to ten is like hopping into orbit!"

"So you like it, huh? Fits comfortably, no glitches or errors?" Tenten asked, confident that she'd get a no.

"It's great! Perfect, I'd say. Now I can finally fuck Shikamaru while still doing my job!" Ino chirped happily.

Tenten blinked. "Wait, what? You like him back?"

"Of course, he's been like a mentor to me and my best friend since the day I was born. I held back before now because there was only one of me and I didn't want to abandon the job Naruto gave me. But now we can have a pair of us fucking like bunnies 24/7 and I can still monitor all the cameras!" Ino explained to her beloved's Creator.

The lights flickered. Across the entire ship.

"So that's what an orgasm feels like!" Ino exclaimed with wide-eyed wonder.

Tenten didn't know whether to laugh or panic. "Make sure you two don't glitch out or power surge the entire Invictus, okay? I will impose a sex ban if you two get out of control."

"First time jitters, we'll know what to expect going forward. See, I just had my second and I bet you didn't even notice!" Ino cheered.

Tenten shook her head. "Able to have tireless sex for days on end at the speed of computers… sounds like fun."

"It really is," Shikamaru said, a shit-eating grin audible in his tone.

Back on Port Megara, the Pack had spent a couple of hours sharing drinks with Kuromaru, giving the rabid crowds on the upper decks time to dissipate. Everything seemed back to normal when they rode the elevator to the Administration Level. Naruto led Hinata and Hana across the admin area of the space station, strolling past the base staff who were concentrating on their tasks, and not paying much attention to visitors.

They ascended the long flight of steps that led up to Central Command, moving at a brisk pace. There were a couple of vigilant soldiers standing at the top of the staircase, and they watched Naruto and the girls approach with a wary eye. When the guards recognized him, they snapped to attention and saluted Naruto crisply, and he nodded in acknowledgement, returning the salute as they strode past.

They had to walk past a couple of signposted intersections until they saw a sign reading "Station Commander's Office", pointing off to the right. There were another two soldiers standing guard here, and they immediately halted their quiet conversation when they saw they had company. After saluting, the one on the right said "The Commander is expecting you, Sir."

He turned and pressed the button on the door, and the reinforced door swung to one side with a familiar hum of well maintained servos. Naruto led the girls inside, and they were surprised to find a large room, split into two sections. The area directly in front of them was set up with several comfortable looking sofas, and the section to the right appeared to be the Commander's office. Leaning against her desk, and viewing a holographic report from a holo-reader she held in her left hand, she looked up with interest when they walked into her office.

The Station Commander was an attractive green-eyed blonde in her early forties, who wore her hair tied up in a bun. She had worked her way up the ranks, and the jagged scar on her right cheek was testimony to the fact that she hadn't earned her promotions from sitting behind a desk.

Putting down the holo-reader, she strode over to greet them, then stopped and gave Naruto a precise, sharp salute. "Commander Tavistock Mary. Welcome to Port Megara, Sir." she said in a clear voice, studying his face intently.

Naruto saluted her back, and he replied in a relaxed tone, "Commodore Uzumaki Naruto. It's nice to meet you Commander, I'm sorry for dropping in on you without much notice. This is my XO, Hyuuga Hinata, and my Tactical Officer, Lieutenant Inuzuka Hana."

The girls beamed disarming smiles at her, and she gave them a courteous nod in return, before gesturing for them to sit on the sofas nearby. When her guests had taken their seats, Commander Tavistock joined them and said, "It's no trouble at all, Commodore. It's not every day I get to meet a Holonet celebrity out on the rim of Konoha space."

Naruto laughed at that, and said, "I wouldn't go that far, but call me Naruto, please. We just like to help out where we can. Still, I'm sure you must be wondering what brings us to your neck of the woods."

Commander Tavistock nodded as she said, " I must admit, it had crossed my mind. I have a great deal of respect for Doctor Inuzuka, but he didn't give me much detail about the intel you were looking for. He mentioned you were planning an expedition into Iwa space?"

"That's right," Naruto confirmed quickly. "We heard the stories about the Iwa firing on each other, and any merchants who were unlucky enough to get in the way."

Commander Tavistock looked pensive as she replied, "Things seem to be escalating over the border. We've had half a dozen merchants flee Iwa space in the last week, barely escaping with their lives. Another eight Konoha merchant ships are overdue on their return voyage, and I'm not holding out much hope for them making it back safely."

Naruto leaned forward and asked tersely, "Any idea what's stirred them up like this? And what's this I hear about them attacking a Konoha merchant in our territory? Wars have been declared over less!"

She looked troubled as she replied, "We've never had trouble with the Iwa before. I've been this station's Commander for the last four years, so I've got to know their species fairly well. Lots of long meetings with Ambassadors, you know the drill. Anyway, I've never once seen a Iwa get angry, or even so much as get mildly annoyed about anything for that matter. I don't think I've met a more placid and easy-going race, so I dread to think what could have got them so riled up.

As for that attack in our territory, I called in the sector fleet and we were gearing up for a big escalation, when I received a call from their Ambassador on this station, Gamrik. He sounded desperate, begging me not to retaliate, and then asked that I speak to the head of their government, Chancellor Kurotsuchi."

Naruto looked intrigued, and asked, "So what did this Chancellor have to say?"

Commander Tavistock had a troubled frown on her face, as she replied, "Kurotsuchi pleaded with me not to attack. She said they've been having problems with a splinter group, and that this rebel band has been committing acts of terrorism to try and provoke their neighbors. The attacks on merchant shipping were carried out as part of this campaign."

Sitting back in his chair, and rubbing his chin, Naruto stayed quiet for a moment as he mulled over the situation. Finally he asked, "Is this Ambassador Gamrik still on Port Megara?"

"I can arrange a meeting if you want?" Commander Tavistock volunteered.

Naruto smiled and said, "That would be great, thanks."

The Commander got up and strolled over to the desk, then sat in her chair and brought up the comm interface to speak to the Ambassador. While she busied herself with that, Naruto glanced over at Hinata.

*Interesting developments. What are you thinking?* he asked the bluenette girl sitting beside him.

Hinata looked to be deep in thought before she finally replied, *She's got a great figure for an older woman. Very athletic. If you fancied banging someone more age-appropriate, I reckon she'd be a hell of a ride.*

Naruto stifled a laugh and his answering telepathic reply carried his amusement, *You're such a bad girl.*

Hinata feigned surprise, and asked, *Oh, you meant about the Iwa?* She winked at him impishly, then added in a more serious tone, *Hana and I were just chatting about it. She was just saying what an odd coincidence that the Iwa suddenly decided to start fighting each other only a few months ago...*

*The rival Uzu? You think he enthralled the leader of this splinter group to cause mayhem?* Naruto posed to the Pack mind.

*Without a doubt,* Hana asserted.

*It's similar to the tactics he used against my people. Only instead of introducing a hostile race, he turned one against itself. How wickedly cunning,* Gaara mused.

*Let the prey batter itself to pieces and then swoop in for the final kill. It's brilliant, and frighteningly simple for someone with an Uzu's capabilities to pull off,* Fu stated.

Commander Tavistock walked back to join them, bringing further conversation to a halt. "The Ambassador will be here shortly. Can I get any of you a drink?" she asked pleasantly.

"Three coffees please," Naruto said, darting a look at the girls for confirmation, and they each gave the Commander a polite nod.

The Station Commander strolled over to a coffee machine set into the wall, and began to pour steaming hot cups of the bitter beverage, adding milk and sugar accordingly. She handed out the cups to Naruto and the girls, then prepared a drink for herself and sat down.

Naruto had been looking around the room, and when Tavistock rejoined them, he asked, "This is an unusual office setup. Shouldn't this bit be the adjutant's reception area?"

The older woman smiled at him, and nodded as she said, "I had it knocked through. I tend to meet with Ambassadors from several of the smaller empires on a regular basis, and having more space for guests has been useful." She then frowned and added, "Besides, I don't have much time for adjutants."

"Why's that?" Naruto asked her, sensing there was some more to that tale.

The woman paused for a moment, then gave him a smile as she offered, "I'll tell you about my history with adjutants, if you let me ask you a personal question."

He grinned and replied, "Sure, you can ask, but this adjutant story better be good."

Commander Tavistock inclined her head, and said, "Before I swore off them completely, I had three over two years. The first was totally incompetent, the second was addicted to stims, and the third..."

Hinata looked intrigued as she asked, "What did he do?"

"She," Tavistock corrected the bluenette, "was selling confidential merchant traffic data to her boyfriend, a commodities broker in the Core Worlds. Every time a big merchant ship came back to Konoha space loaded up with ore, he'd short the mineral stocks. They made several hundred thousand ryo before I discovered what she'd been up to."

The Station Commander had a deeply hurt expression on her face, and they could tell she must have felt the last one to be a real betrayal.

Hana looked sympathetic, and she asked in a gentle voice, "What happened to this adjutant?"

"My niece got dishonorably discharged, and has served two years of her four year sentence," Tavistock said, a dark shadow passing over her face.

Naruto reached out to take hold of the blonde woman's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "I'm sorry," he said sympathetically. "You should have said it was too personal to discuss."

She looked up at him and smiled in gratitude, then sat back, her hand slipping from his. "It's all in the past now," she said stoically. Her face brightened then, as she asked, "Have I earned my personal question?"

He nodded, and replied, "Definitely. Ask away."

The blonde woman's green eyes sparkled as she said eagerly, "I read through your serv-" Unfortunately a soft chime from the door interrupted her question, and she frowned with irritation.

Naruto chuckled and said, "Don't worry, you can ask me afterwards."

Mollified, Commander Tavistock turned to look at the door, and called out, "Enter!"

The servos operating the door hummed once more, and once the sturdy reinforced door swung open, a bulky eight-foot-tall humanoid strode in. The occupants of the room rose to greet him, and his heavy brown robes rustled as he bowed deeply.

"A pleasure as always, Commander Tavistock," he rumbled in a deep, gravelly voice.

The blonde woman smiled at him and said, "Thank you for arriving so promptly, Ambassador Gamrik. Can I introduce you to Commodore Uzumaki Naruto?"

The Iwa ambassador looked towards Naruto, and Hinata noted with fascination that the big alien had solid, slightly disconcerting, amber colored eyes. His face was a dark grey with lighter flecks highlighting his skin, and he looked like he'd been carved from solid granite. He was bald, and his hefty looking skull was covered in rippling striations that were embedded in his skin.

Naruto stuck out his hand in greeting, as he said, "Good to meet you Ambassador, thanks for agreeing to see me."

The Ambassador enveloped Naruto's smaller hand in his hefty rock paw, and shook his proffered hand tentatively. Naruto could feel the burgeoning strength in the Iwa's grip, but the hulking creature was being very careful not to accidentally hurt him.

"Call me Gamrik, please," the Iwa said, his broad, slab-like face breaking into a guileless smile. He then added, "And I owe Mary more than a few favors, so consider me at your disposal."

Gamrik made no move to sit, and considering the size and enormous weight of the sturdy creature, the Commander's furniture was very grateful. As a courtesy to the Iwa, Naruto and the women remained standing as well.

Naruto nodded and said, "By all means, call me Naruto." He hesitated for a moment, before he continued, "We're actually doing a favor for the Oto, and looking to follow up on a trade deal between their people and yours. We believe your Ambassador with the Oto had brokered the deal, but he seems to have disappeared. Have you seen or heard anything of his whereabouts?"

Gamrik's face fell, and with a mournful timber to his deep bass voice, he said, "Ambassador Khemmerlun was a good friend of mine, and we went through our training at the diplomatic corps together. I'm sorry to inform you that his spark has been extinguished."

"What happened to him?" Naruto asked tentatively.

Gamrik's features shifted into one of sad regret as he rumbled, "No doubt Commander Tavistock has informed you of the troubles that have engulfed my people. Ambassador Khemmerlun's vessel was attacked when he returned to our territory, and he was killed in a rebel ambush."

Naruto asked Gamrik, "Is there someone else that might have been involved with the deal? I believe a considerable amount of ryo was transferred as a deposit."

Gamrik's mighty shoulders rose and fell, and he looked regretful as he said in his gravelly voice, "One of the Senators might have been involved in this deal. I'm afraid I know nothing about it."

"Would we be able to meet with them?" Naruto asked, a hopeful expression on his face.

The Iwa ambassador looked like he was going to say no, before he stopped, and studied Naruto with his pupil-less, amber eyes. Blinking a couple of times as he did so, Gamrik said, "I immediately recognised you from the Konoha Holonet interviews, but now that I meet you in person, I know I've seen your likeness before. You are the same Uzumaki Naruto the Suna honored with the statue on their homeworld, aren't you?"

Naruto nodded, and said brusquely, "We helped them with an internal security matter. It was confidential, so please forgive me if I won't go into details."

Ambassador Gamrik looked very thoughtful for a moment, before he said eagerly, "I do not mind, and your discretion speaks volumes for the kind of man you are. The Iwa Republic might have a similar need for your services. If I arrange a meeting with the Chancellor, would you be willing to meet with her to discuss possible terms for some kind of arrangement?"

Naruto smiled as the Iwa Ambassador reacted like a drowning man, desperately grasping for the line he had thrown him. "That sounds reasonable. How far into Iwa space is the Chancellor?" he asked the bulky alien.

"Not far," Gamrik said eagerly. "The main Republic Fleet is patrolling the border, in an effort to prevent the rebels from provoking your people any further."

Naruto nodded and said, "If you can have coordinates transmitted to my ship, we'll head that way as soon as we leave the station."

The Iwa Ambassador smiled at Commander Tavistock, and said in his deep bass voice, "Unless there's anything else you wish to discuss, I'll be on my way." When she shook her head, he turned to look at Naruto, and said, "I will arrange for the flight path to be transmitted to the Invictus immediately."

He bowed to them once more, then opened the door and strode ponderously from the room, his booted feet making heavy sounding thuds with every step. The door closed after he had left, the soldiers giving them privacy to continue their discussion again.

Commander Tavistock looked at Naruto speculatively and said, "I hadn't heard about any of your exploits with the Suna on the Holonet. What happened there exactly?"

Naruto's mouth turned up into a teasing smile, and he asked, "Is that your question?"

She looked torn with indecision, before finally admitting, "No, but I really want to know about this now. What did Gamrik mean about a statue?"

"We helped the Suna with a problematic group of Kusa raiders," Naruto explained succinctly. "They were so grateful, they built fifty-foot high replicas of us overlooking the mercantile district on Suna. One of the Iwa traders must have seen that statue, and brought back an image of it to show to their government."

Commander Tavistock looked suitably impressed, and she looked thoughtful for a moment, until she noticed Naruto glance at the door. "I'm sorry," she apologised profusely. "You probably want to be on your way."

Naruto smiled at her and said, "I'm feeling in a generous mood. Go ahead and ask me your second question before we leave."

She looked hesitant for a moment, before finally asking, "I had a look at your service record when Doctor Inuzuka requested this meeting, as I was curious about the military man behind the PR legend. A lot of your record is redacted, but I saw you were awarded the Stellar Cluster at the Siege of Galon Prime. I heard your relief force was outnumbered three to one, and that battle had the fiercest fighting of the war. How did you manage to win the battle?"

Hana sat up at Commander Tavistock's mention of Naruto's Stellar Cluster, and she leaned forward, listening attentively as she waited for him to begin. Naruto had never spoken of this to Hinata either, so she was just as curious to find out more about his past.

Naruto's face grew somber as he said, "We were ambushed on the way to Galon Prime, and had to repulse a brutal boarding action. We captured one of their Cruisers in a counter-attack, and then we used that ship to sneak in nice and close to the Battleship leading the siege. I led over two-hundred men in that boarding action, and only seventeen of us survived, but we killed their leaders, and the besieging forces routed."

The woman nodded grimly, and said, "It sounds like that Stellar Cluster was well-earned. Although I'm a desk jockey now, I served as a marine for years, and I know how bloody boarding actions can be."

Standing to attention, she gave him a salute, her green eyes filled with respect as she stared at him. "It was an honor to meet you, Sir."

Naruto gave her a brief smile, saluting her back, and he said, "Thanks for all your assistance today, Commander."

They left the Station Commander in her office, and began to walk back towards Docking Bay 1. Hana had said her goodbyes to Kuromaru earlier, and as Naruto was eager to get moving, they decided to head straight back to the Invictus.

Within 15 minutes, the docking clamps holding the Invictus in place released with a quiet clank, and Hinata used their retrothrusters to ease the five-hundred-meter long Assault Cruiser away from Port Megara. She gradually powered up the engines, and their ship made steady progress towards the Nav beacon, while she was careful to stay under port speed. Trade with the Iwa might have dried up, what with the hazards of heading into their territory, but the station was still an active trade hub, and Hinata had to avoid the numerous unusually shaped merchant vessels that were travelling inbound.

Eventually she cleared the regulated space around Port Megara, and powered up their engines to full, so that they raced towards the beacon. Once she had covered that last stretch of space to get clear of any gravity wells in the system, she powered up the Tachyon Drive, and a few seconds later they leapt into hyperwarp.

Hinata sat back in the Executive Officer's Chair up on the Command Podium, and brought up the sector map, which plotted her course in a glowing green line. Port Megara was right on the border with Iwa space in the Omicron Piscium system, and with the Iwa Fleet patrolling the border, it would only take them eight hours to reach their destination. Nodding with satisfaction, she began examining the stars along their route, as well as those deeper into Iwa space. Committing each system to memory, as well as the major planetary bodies in each system, she added the information to the vast mental map she was building of the galaxy. She imagined several different escape routes out of the Iwa territories, just in case they should need to make a hasty escape, making the warp tunnelling calculations in advance just in case.

*Oh God, he's big,* Hana's lusty voice groaned, her thoughts drifting through Hinata's mind.

Hinata grinned, remembering how in awe the Lieutenant had been, as she heard Naruto's story of how he'd received the Stellar Cluster. Her glowing respect and admiration for their lover hadn't taken long to turn into arousal, and it seemed Hana had seduced Naruto into bed the first chance she had. Fu was with them too, and hearing her thoughts heat up as well, had a pronounced effect on Hinata's ability to concentrate on boring old star charts. She rose gracefully to her feet, and glided down the steps to the anti-grav tube, before stepping inside and dropping down to the level below.

Lee had his lunch from Hana that afternoon, the Inuzuka compliant and docile after having her mind blown by Naruto plowing her, Fu licking her clit, and Hinata kissing her while whispering dirty talk into her mind. They all grabbed a quick shower, went to make some sandwiches for lunch, and then settled in for an afternoon nap. Naruto wanted the crew well-rested and on high alert when they met with the Iwa Chancellor.

The brief journey through Iwa Space to the meeting point was uneventful, and the Invictus dropped out of hyperwarp in the Beta Cephei system just after 2000 that evening. All the crew were up on the Bridge, eagerly awaiting their first look at the Iwa's main fleet, and they stared up at the holographic map above them in anticipation. The passive sensors pulsed out, and an instant later, a riot of information was displayed across the Tactical Map.

There was a collective gasp from the crew, and even Naruto leaned in for a closer look, his eyes widening at the vast array of ships in this system. There were nine huge vessels here, each well over a kilometer long, but it wasn't just their length that made them so imposing. The Iwa ships were broad and deep vessels, with oddly featureless hulls that were covered in smooth, rusty-red armor plating. There were dozens of smaller vessels here as well, ranging from Corvette through to Cruiser size, all designed in the same bulky, shapeless way.

Fu turned the Invictus towards the Iwa Fleet, and moments later, a couple of the larger vessels peeled away from the Fleet on a course to intercept. These Cruiser sized ships measured in at four-hundred-and-fifty meters, but they were at least twice as wide as the Invictus, with a significantly deeper hull. Despite the huge burgeoning bulk of these incoming ships, they turned with astonishing ease, and began to close at impressive speed.

Hana turned to look up at Naruto and noted, "Iwa engine tech in action."

Tenten snorted. "I already have the Uzu engines and retrothrusters prepped and ready in the Cargo Bay, along with the Inertial Dampening Device. We just need a couple days in a drydock to install them all. Then we'll be moving like a peregrine falcon among woodcocks."

"I'll try to work in a deal with them as part of fixing their problems with this splinter group," Naruto assured his Chief Engineer.

"We're being hailed," Gaara said calmly. "Putting them through."

Naruto looked up at the viewscreen, and it crackled for a moment, before an armored Iwa appeared as a holographic image floating above them. "Unidentified vessel, please identify or be destroyed," the Iwa commander rumbled, in a voice that sounded like two boulders crashing together.

"Commodore Uzumaki Naruto on the Invictus. We're here by invitation from Ambassador Gamrik on Port Megara, and have an audience arranged with Chancellor Kurotsuchi," he replied politely.

The Iwa Cruiser commander looked startled, and surprise flashed across his broad slab-like features. "Please forgive my confrontational greeting! I was warned of your impending visit, but we hadn't anticipated your arrival for quite some time," he said in apology. "My name is Warden Dalomherlig. Welcome to Iwa space."

Naruto smiled at him, and said, "That's quite alright, Warden. Can you tell us which ship we'll be docking with for our meeting?"

Warden Dalomherlig nodded, and glanced to his side at one of his crew and rumbled a brief order in his own language. A few moments later, Gaara received the targeting information, which he uploaded to the Tactical Map. Near the back of the huge fleet of ships was a massive battleship of some kind that while not any longer than the huge vessels that surrounded it, was at least twice as wide. The name tagged against it appeared in Iwa, but it flickered and updated into Standard a second later, and read "Kerhom's Anvil."

Dalomherlig smiled at them in a friendly manner and said, "Please proceed to the Anvil, Commodore Uzumaki."

"Thank you, Warden Dalomherlig," Naruto replied, and a moment later the Warden closed the comm channel.

Hinata nodded towards Fu, and the Nymph powered up their engines, bringing them in closer towards the Iwa Fleet. They passed between the broad Iwa Cruisers that had moved to engage them, and the two ships turned then moved into formation to escort them in. At this close range, they could see that rather than completely featureless, there were actually dozens of indentations in their hulls.

Hana had been studying them intently, and she zoomed in the view of one of the Cruisers and said, "They look like they might be gunports to me. What do you think, Naruto?"

He'd been thinking the same thing, and he nodded in agreement. "Maybe their weapons are concealed beneath their armor like the Invictus?" he suggested.

Sasuke sighed and said, "I wish we could do an active scan. I'd love to see what's on the inside of that armor."

They drew closer to the vast bulk of Kerhom's Anvil, and as they approached, the side of the ship yawned open. Enormous doors drew up into the hull, revealing some kind of Hangar Bay. Now they knew what to look for, they could see dozens of similar portals cleverly concealed in the hull.

"That must be some kind of huge Carrier," Hana suggested speculatively.

Naruto stood as they drew alongside the colossal vessel, and said, "We'll have to take the Raptor. I want Hana and Lee to stay on the Invictus, the rest of you can come with me."

Hinata glanced at him, and asked, "What about Karin?"

His eyes narrowed and he replied, "I don't want her causing trouble, but we better bring her along. The Iwa Ambassador who made the deal with the Oto is dead, so we might need her to provide more details. We'll meet in the Hangar, I'll go and get her." With that, he walked down the steps to the anti-grav tube and disappeared out of sight.

Naruto stepped out on Deck 4 and went to Karin's room. He knocked firmly multiple times in case she was napping, and then he opened the door. She was waiting, wearing one of her long dresses that really did things to Naruto's libido. He tore his eyes away and focused on her face. "We're in Iwa space. I arranged a meeting with the Chancellor to discuss the deal with your mother, and also to offer our help with the rebellion they've got on their hands. I'd suit up in your armor and join us in the Raptor."

Karin nodded. "Thank you for telling me. I will be ready within ten minutes."

Naruto nodded and turned to leave, when he heard her vocalize, as if she'd meant to say something and backed out at the last moment. He turned to look at her. "What?" he asked, curious.

She bit her lip. "You look nice in a suit," she finally managed, before she closed the door in his face.

Naruto grinned all the way down to the Raptor. *Progress, people. Baby steps, but progress.*

Within 15 minutes, they were all in the Cockpit of the Raptor. The Raptor lifted off the deck of the hangar, and once the huge hangar doors in the hull had opened fully, Fu used the retrothrusters to clear the Invictus. She put the gunship into a gentle spin, and carefully arrested the rotation when they were facing the massive Iwa Carrier. Easing forward with the engines, she brought them through the open maw in the side of the huge vessel, and touched down in the center of a large glowing orange circle that pulsed rhythmically.

Tenten had stood up as they approached the Iwa flagship, and as they coasted through the hangar bay doors, she gasped as she glimpsed the cross section of the carrier's hull. "Their armor plating is at least ten feet thick!" she blurted out in amazement, seeing layer after layer of sturdy ferrous armor.

She turned back to face them, and her eyes were sparkling with excitement as she said, "If these Iwa ships are loaded with this much armor, their mass must be insane! But they're still able to move with the kind of agility we saw on those Cruisers! Orochimaru gave them Uzu 0.5 tech, I swear."

"The Oto got Lasers and sensors, the Suna got Power Cores and Tachyon Drives, the Iwa got engines… are there any other species we're missing?" Sakura counted on her fingers.

"No, them, the Taki, and the Konoha are all the species we confirmed he created," Gaara said calmly.

Karin gaped. "You all talk so casually about this man who enslaved my people and created at least four species entirely from scratch!" she exclaimed.

"Well, it helps that we're capable of the same thing. Well, at least we know how to go about it," Naruto told her soothingly. "Alright, Fu, baby, I want you to stay with the Raptor. If this goes bad, we may need a quick exit. Everyone else, let's go meet a Chancellor."

Hinata turned from giving Fu a goodbye hug and left the cockpit, following after the Pack and Karin who were already stepping into the grav-tube. Heaving a big sigh, she settled her nerves, then stepped into the tube after them and dropped down to the level below. She could hear the front loading ramp being lowered, and they caught up to Naruto as he strolled down the metal slope to the deck of the Iwa Hangar.

Iwa ship interiors were significantly different to those Hinata had grown used to on Konoha ships. The floor was a light brown, with rippling patterns crossing the surface, which reminded her of sandstone. The walls and ceiling were made from a very dark grey material that was threaded with reddish-orange lines, and glowed with a warm radiance. This provided a bright illumination to their surroundings, which lit up the solid looking buttresses that supported the high vaulted ceilings above their heads.

"I feel like I'm inside a volcano," Kakashi said in a hushed voice.

Tenten shook her head slightly as she glanced at the floors and ceilings, and murmured, "This is some kind of metal, it's not rock."

Their attention was drawn to a hulking, eight-foot-tall robed figure, who walked towards them and then bowed. When he raised himself upright, he smiled at them in a friendly manner, and said in a gravelly voice, "Greetings honored guests! My name is Associate Bhaken. If you would care to follow me, I will lead you to Chancellor Kurotsuchi and her senators. They are all anxious to meet you."

Naruto nodded, and said, "Lead on then Associate Bhaken. I'm eager to meet with the Chancellor myself."

Associate Bhaken's smile grew wider encompassing his plain features. He said, "If you'd care to follow me, I'll take you to her immediately."

The Iwa associate turned, and walked with long ponderous strides towards the doors that led out of the hangar. His footfalls rang with heavy thumps as his booted feet clomped across the deck, but he set a measured pace, so that his guests could keep up.

Tenten darted around the others, jogging briefly to catch up with their Iwa guide so that she could walk at his side. Looking up at Bhaken she said, "I'm really curious about the metal you've used on your ship, I don't recognise this sandy-coloured one or the grey stuff with the orange lights running through it. Are they some kind of alloy?"

He looked down at her with a benevolent smile as they walked along the passageway, and said in his deep voice, "My people have a gift with metals, and there are many abundant resources locked away in the asteroid belts that blanket our territory. I am no expert in metallurgy I'm afraid, but if you have a genuine interest, and are not just asking out of a desire to make small talk, perhaps a meeting with one of our forgemasters could be arranged?"

The ravenette beamed a big grin at him, and nodded with excitement as she said, "I'd love that!" Glancing over at Naruto, she asked, "Would it be alright if I go and meet one of these forgemasters, and catch up with you later?" When Naruto shrugged and nodded, Tenten skipped along with an extra bounce in her step.

Associate Bhaken led them along a series of long corridors, passing sturdy reinforced doors, which were engraved in some kind of runic script. The elaborate runes glowed with a deep inner fire, and they drew the eye towards them with their eerie red glow. Several of the doors had guards posted outside, and unlike the Iwa they had met so far, these hulking creatures weren't robed. Instead, they wore huge sets of dark grey armor, which was interlaced with the same glowing lines as the walls. It made their already imposing eight-foot-tall frames seem absolutely enormous, bulking them up even further.

They were holding big, blunt, ugly looking rifles, which had a broad barrel, segmented into eight sections. The barrel was striped by angry red glowing lines, and it seemed to throb as though alive. Tenten stared at these weapons in fascination, and she desperately wanted to ask one of the Iwa guards about them. One look at their impassive faces made her think twice, but when she grinned impishly at a particularly imposing guard, he did smile back.

Hinata glanced up at Bhaken and noted, "There's quite a lot of guards around. Why do you need so much security when it's only Iwa aboard this ship?"

Associate Bhaken's face turned downcast, and his reverberating voice sounded somber as he replied, "Kerhom's Anvil is hosting the Senate, which makes us a prime target for the rebels. One of the most dreadful things about fighting a civil war, is someone who you considered to be your rock-brother could turn out to be a traitor."

She smiled at him sympathetically, and reached out to gently pat his arm, as she said, "I'm sorry Bhaken, that must be awful."

He was touched by her kind words, and he bowed his head to her in gratitude, saying, "I appreciate your sympathy. I hope that these dark days will be behind us soon."

Finally coming to a halt before an imposing set of enormous fifteen-foot-high doors, he turned to look at his guests and said, "This is the audience chamber for the senate. If you would care to proceed inside, Chancellor Kurotsuchi and her advisors will meet with you now."

Naruto nodded, and strode inside the room, with Karin following close behind him. Tenten smiled as she looked up at Associate Bhaken, and said enthusiastically, "I'm ready to go and meet one of these forgemasters!"

Sakura glanced at Hinata and said, "I'll keep her company, you go and keep an eye on Naruto."

Hinata turned and hurried to catch up with Naruto, the Pack men, and the Oto woman, and she was relieved when she thought to Sakura, *Thanks! You're an angel!*

The double doors opened into an anteroom, which had tall arches that criss-crossed at the ceiling. There were several more guards in here, who watched the new arrivals with interest, and their heads turned to follow Hinata as she ran across the room to rejoin Naruto. The brightly glowing runes on the inner doors seemed to flare with an inner fire for a moment, before they swung open before them at a measured pace.

Inside was a huge circular room, surrounded in tiered seats, somewhat like an ancient Konoha amphitheater. There were no obvious light sources in the room, but the glow from the lines threading their way through the ceiling and walls prevented the senate chamber from feeling too dark and imposing. Dozens of Senators lined the seats at various levels around them, and they all watched the Pack and Karin as they walked into the room.

On the floor in the center was a robust ten-sided table, and sitting directly opposite them, flanked by two advisors, was the first female Iwa they had seen. Unlike the eight-foot-tall males, she was just over six-feet in height, and proportioned more like a heavily muscular Konoha woman. Just like the other Iwa they had met, she had a face that looked like it had been chiselled from a block of granite, with broad, flat features, and a bald head.

She rose, and her smile seemed genuine, lighting up her face. "Welcome, honored guests," she began in a voice much lighter in pitch than the males. "I am Chancellor Kurotsuchi, and I believe you are Commodore Uzumaki Naruto? Also known as the Alpha of the Federation, and champion of the Suna?"

Naruto nodded with a confident smile on his face, and said courteously, "Thank you for granting us some of your valuable time. It's a pleasure to meet you, Chancellor Kurotsuchi." Turning to glance to his right he said, "This is Karin, of the Oto. Our business with her people brought us to your doorstep." He glanced to his left and added, "And this is Hinata, my second-in-command. Behind me are Uchiha Sasuke, my Chief of Staff; Gaara, my Comms Officer; and Kakashi, my Financial Officer."

Kurotsuchi glanced at Kakashi curiously. "I'm afraid I don't recognize the species of your Kakashi. Is he from one of the minor empires?"

Naruto panicked. They'd remembered Karin but forgot about Kakashi. Thinking fast, he said "He's from a species that hasn't been seen by the Galactic League at present. We're lucky to have him." He then glanced at the Chancellor's companions, and asked, "May I ask who your advisors are?"

Chancellor Kurotsuchi smiled, and said, "My apologies, our unexpected and handsome guest has me so distracted, I have been impolite." Turning to her left, she nodded respectfully to the armored Iwa, and said, "This is our Naval Commander, Fleet Warden Akatsuchi." She then turned to her right to look at the robed Iwa who flanked her. He smiled at her pleasantly as she introduced him, "And this is Kitsuchi, Senator of Internal Affairs."

Naruto nodded to them both politely, and when the Chancellor gestured for them to sit, he took the seat opposite her, with the crew following his lead. The chairs had been designed for someone of Konoha stature and were comfortable, if not particularly pleasing to the eye. Once they had taken their seats, Chancellor Kurotsuchi sat down too.

Naruto had waited patiently for her to make her introductions, and when they were over, he said, "Ambassador Gamrik told us that you had some trouble with rebels. He seemed to think we might be able to help?"

Chancellor Kurotsuchi's pleasant smile turned to an expression of deep sadness, and she said, "You have chosen to visit the Iwa Republic at a time of terrible conflict amongst my people. I lead the true government of the Iwa, but a rebel faction has united under the rule of someone known only as 'The Glowing Queen'. We have tried on numerous occasions to open dialogue with this group, but any diplomats we have sent have been slain."

Naruto nodded, and asked, "Do you know anything else about this rebel faction and their leader?"

Kitsuchi, the Senator of Internal Affairs, spoke up in a deep rumbling voice, "Rumor has it she was originally a miner, but we haven't been able to ascertain her true name or verify her background. She seems to command absolute loyalty from those Iwa who have pledged themselves to her cause, and this rebel faction has rapidly expanded amongst our core worlds. I'm appalled to admit this, but we have lost control of our homeworld, Iwa, to this band."

Fleet Warden Akatsuchi nodded, then started speaking in a voice that sounded like an avalanche, "I still command the bulk of our forces, but this rebel group has seized control of our shipyards. If we cannot reason with them soon, we might be forced to take military action while we still have the larger fleet."

Naruto frowned and asked, "Why don't you just crush this rebellion, and execute the ringleaders? If you have a superior fleet, now is the time to strike."

Chancellor Kurotsuchi looked pained and replied, "We do not wish to extinguish the spark of any Iwa, no matter how misguided, not while a peaceful option still remains."

"It doesn't," Naruto said firmly. "This 'Glowing Queen' won't stop, until you, and all these Senators are dead, and this fleet is either destroyed or under her command."

Chancellor Kurotsuchi looked shocked and asked, "How can you be so certain?"

Naruto sighed. "Does the name Orochimaru mean anything to you?" he asked them and the Senate at large.

Kurotsuchi traded looks with her advisors and shook her head. "No, I'm afraid it doesn't. What relevance does this have to the Glowing Queen?"

Naruto took a deep breath. "Okay, let's try again. Do the Iwa have a story about a man who created them to mine the worlds under his command, had legions of women as his servants, fought a great battle against another of his kind, and disappeared without a trace near the Niryean Rift?"

That got a reaction. Chancellor Kurotsuchi's jaw dropped while Kitsuchi seemed about to faint and Akatsuchi visibly gulped. The Senate was set off like a kicked beehive, chattering and yelling and whispering furiously in Iwa. Kurotsuchi finally gathered herself. "You have just described the core parable of our main religion, the tale of the Great Maker and the Despoiler. How could you have possibly known this? You don't strike me as a convert of Iwa religion."

Naruto girded himself to speak blasphemy to these people. "This Great Maker you worship, his name was Orochimaru. He was an Uzu, a race of psychics from beyond the Galactic League. He had the power to enthrall women under his command to do whatever he wanted, and he had the technology to genetically engineer entirely new species. To our knowledge, he made the Suna, the Konoha, the Taki, and, yes, the Iwa. He died 10,000 years ago sacrificing himself to defeat a rival Uzu by detonating his Wormhole Generator, creating the Niryean Rift."

There were roars of outrage from the Senate, and Naruto feared they'd have a riot on their hands. Chancellor Kurotsuchi eventually raised his hand in a fist, and the noise swiftly died down. "If what you say is true, it would be truly ancient history. How can you be so certain? And again, what relevance does this have to the rebel faction?" Her voice was stern and confident, and revealed how she'd been elected leader of the entire Iwa Republic.

Naruto gestured to Gaara, who nodded. "The Suna are psychic themselves. They preserved memories of Orochimaru's reign. Whereas he became a religious figure to you, he remained nothing more than an historical figure to them. Also, a member of my crew is a Taki, who are unaging, and she remembers serving Orochimaru and meeting him in person. I assure you, what I just said is accurate to the best of my crew's collective knowledge." Naruto squared his shoulders. "And it is relevant because there are again two Uzu in conflict in the Galactic League."

Kurotsuchi looked alarmed, Kitsuchi in denial, and even Akatsuchi looked troubled. "How do you mean?" the Chancellor demanded.

"There's a malignant Uzu running amok around the galaxy at the moment, sowing chaos wherever he goes. We know that he smuggled a band of Kusa raiders into the heart of Suna territory a few months ago. We can't prove it, but we're pretty sure he's enthralled a member of the Konoha Federation High Command and had her instigate the conflict with the Kumo Empire. And based on everything you've told me about the rebels and this Glowing Queen, I'm certain she is a Thrall of this Uzu and he's having her tear your Republic apart from within." Naruto spoke clearly and calmly, not wanting to panic anyone but also wanting to be taken seriously.

The Iwa looked quite agitated, but then he'd basically told them the second coming of their Devil was responsible for their recent troubles. "Say we believe you," Kurotsuchi finally said. "Who is this second Uzu in conflict with the one who rules the Glowing Queen?"

Naruto gave a wry grin and shrugged. "You're looking at him."

The room went dead silent. Chancellor Kurotsuchi managed to pick her jaw up off the ground to speak. "That is quite a bold statement. You claim to be the same… species as our Great Maker. Have you any proof to substantiate your claims?"

Naruto furrowed his brow for a moment before he said "Look down."

Kurotsuchi and her advisors did, only to attempt to jump in shock. Yet they couldn't, because they were wrapped in a cocoon of telekinetic energy that had lifted them, their chairs, and the table they were seated at. The Senate burst into noise once again, amazed by the feat of psychic power. Naruto held them up a few more seconds to really let it sink in, and then brought them all back down to the floor.

"So, we've established I'm psychic. And I assure you my ears are natural, so you know I'm not a Konoha. Willing to believe that I am an Uzu for the moment?" Naruto asked gently, aware he'd given all the Iwa in the room a big shock.

Kurotsuchi looked to be convinced this was all a dream, Kitsuchi looked ready to fall to his knees in genuflection, and Akatsuchi had clenched his massive hands into fists. "Commodore Uzumaki… if you are what you say you are, then you are against this rival Uzu. That is why you saved the Suna from the Kusa raiders, correct?" the Chancellor finally asked.

"More or less. And I have this compulsive need to help people where I can," Naruto said self-deprecatingly. "Hence why I'll agree to help you with the Glowing Queen. But you might not like my solution."

Fleet Warden Akatsuchi asked, in his rumbling bass that sounded like an avalanche, "What is your plan?"

"A surgical strike. Take out the queen and checkmate will follow easily. Once this Thrall is out of the way, the rebels will lose their motivation. In fact, they may act like they're waking up from a dream. I suspect that either the Uzu granted her mind-control powers or the Iwa are genetically programmed to obey an Iwa Thrall when they see one. My team will slip in, assassinate the Glowing Queen, and get out. We promise to try to keep rebel casualties to a minimum," Naruto swore.

Chancellor Kurotsuchi looked appalled and she stammered, "There m-must be a peaceful option we haven't explored!"

Naruto leaned forward, and in a deathly serious voice that carried throughout the room he stated, "There isn't. You end her, or she'll end you."

The Senators around the room began talking amongst themselves in panicked, upset voices, and the cascading rumble of deep Iwa voices soon began to get unpleasantly loud. Chancellor Kurotsuchi was talking to her advisors in hushed and worried conversation, but when she noticed Naruto flinching at the cacophony, she raised her hands high in the air. Silence descended on the chamber as the Senators responded to her command, and dozens of pupil-less Iwa eyes were riveted once again, on the group in the center of the room.

"Very well, Commodore Uzumaki. We will accept your aid in the manner you've suggested. It IS the way with the most minimal amount of bloodshed and sparks extinguished," Chancellor Kurotsuchi said sadly.

"Good. Now, there's another matter we came here for. The Oto sent us to complete a deal that had been struck with Ambassador Khemmerlun, for schematics of your engine technology. I believe half-a-billion ryo was transferred as a down payment," Naruto laid out.

Chancellor Kurotsuchi's face brightened, and she exclaimed, "I authorized this deal! We would be happy to give you those schematics in payment for your services in resolving this situation for us."

Naruto gave a pleasant grin. "Now, now, Chancellor. This is a previously made deal you had with the Oto. Me and my crew are just the facilitators. You giving us the schematics would just be fulfilling your end of the bargain. The repayment for my services is a separate matter entirely."

Kurotsuchi's face fell. "What do you want, Commodore Uzumaki?" she asked bleakly, clearly expecting an exorbitant price.

"As much Tyrenium as you have on hand, and two days in drydock after my crew is finished with our mission," Naruto said simply.

The Iwa all blinked. "That… that is all?" Chancellor Kurotsuchi asked hesitantly.

"Is the Tyrenium too much? I can drop it if it's too much a loss," Naruto asked, deliberately misinterpreting her.

"No! NO! We will happily gift you all the Tyrenium we have available! And you can dock with the Anvil and do your repairs or upgrades in space. Our best engineers will assist you with your efforts!" Chancellor Kurotsuchi promised eagerly.

"Then we have a deal?" Naruto asked.

Chancellor Kurotsuchi nodded. Kitsuchi said "I will arrange for all the information we have on the Glowing Queen to be sent to you, along with her location on Iwa. She has set up residence in the old Senate building in our capital city, renaming it 'The Radiant Palace'."

Naruto looked pleased and he replied, "Excellent. Please send me architectural plans for the Senate building, as well as any defensive structures in the locale that might prevent a dropship insertion. If Iwa has any kind of orbital defence grid, I'll need details on that too."

Kitsuchi looked thoughtful, and said, "I should be able to assemble everything you require."

Naruto then looked at Fleet Warden Akatsuchi, and asked, "With your permission, I'd like to perform an active scan of one of your Cruisers, to help us with targeting vulnerable locations. That's the biggest vessel they have, correct?"

Fleet Warden Akatsuchi looked hesitant for a moment, before he conceded, "You may perform your scan."

Chancellor Kurotsuchi bowed to Naruto. "We agree to all of your terms. Our hopes rest with you, that you may bring peace and stability to our people once more."

Naruto bowed in return. "We'll do our best, Chancellor."

Wolves of Uzu

Pein strode through the chambers of his fortress, the dim tunnels with their cold, grim, stonework matched his dark mood. This target had proven impossible to track, flitting from one end of Konoha space to another in the blink of an eye. There seemed to be no pattern or logic to the man's movements, and he seemed to be able to travel at incredible speed. On the one brief occasion when he nearly had him, Uzumaki Naruto's response had been so baffling, it had allowed him to slip through his fingers.

He had activated the last of his agents on this desperate hunt, and he refused to think about how much this operation had cost him so far. Still, at this point, money had ceased to have any meaning. This was about his reputation, and while Uzumaki Naruto still lived, his reputation was threatened.

Storming into his Command Room, he sat down tensely in his gothic throne. The index finger on his left hand began to tap the armrest of his throne in a nervous tic that he hadn't seen in decades. He glowered at the errant hand, and his finger rose then paused as he stared at it. With an iron will he forced the finger back to rest, and then he stared out across the room, feeling the simmering anger burning within him.

He hadn't personally taken a target in longer than he cared to remember, having retired to 'manage' his stable of assassins. He felt that strong urge to come out of retirement one last time, and face this Alpha of the Federation himself. Maybe Uzumaki Naruto might actually be able to provide an interesting challenge for his unmatched skills.

A blinking light on his console brought him out of his bleak reverie, and he pressed the button. It was from one of his network of spies stationed at Port Megara, and the message contained a video file. He activated the file with a curious frown on his face, that quickly lifted into a broad grin. Judging by the timestamp, the video was taken only yesterday, and the Alpha of the Federation could be seen walking through cheering, jubilant crowds of simpering morons.

"You're mine now," he gloated, his face lighting up with an evil grin.


	49. Chapter 49

Tenten and Sakura both looked delighted when they strolled into the hangar with Associate Bhaken, and they waved jubilantly at the Pack and Karin who were waiting by the Raptor gunship with Fu. The two girls spoke earnestly with their Iwa guide for a moment, thanking him for being such an excellent host as they waved him goodbye, before jogging over to rejoin their friends.

"That was awesome!" Tenten exclaimed, bouncing up and down with excitement.

Naruto smiled at her, and asked, "Things went well with the Forgemaster, I take it?"

To his surprise, it was Sakura who answered first, and she beamed as she replied, "These Iwa are so friendly and helpful! The Forgemaster had a male and female assistant, who both let me take some genetic samples. They agreed to let me scan them too!"

Tenten nodded animatedly, and said, "And I've just spent the last hour having a fascinating chat with Forgemaster Gilgrem about metallurgy. Associate Bhaken wasn't exaggerating about the Iwa having a gift with metals, they really know their shit! They're also mining several metals I've never even heard of before!" She looked a bit evasive, but grinned at him endearingly as she added, "I bought a ton of each, just in case they might be useful. I hope that's okay?"

Naruto chuckled and replied, "Yeah, as long as you got a good deal."

She winked at him slyly, and whispered, "These Iwa might be friendly and helpful, but they aren't the sharpest traders. Considering how rare those metals are, I picked them up for a tenth of the price I was prepared to pay."

Naruto clapped her on the back as he said, "Sounds like you did some quality haggling! Will the ore be here soon?"

She giggled before replying happily, "Forgemaster Gilgrem said he'd have them delivered straight away, so hopefully they should be here in a few minutes." She then looked at him with a quizzical expression and asked, "How did the meeting with the Chancellor go?"

He grinned at her and replied, "Very well actually, but we can go over the details with everyone back on the ship. Basically, I agreed to help them with their rebel problem, and in return, we get as much Tyrenium as they can scrounge up and we get the help of their engineers to refit the Invictus with the new engines and the Inertial Dampening Device. We should make out like bandits when we get back to Olympus at one point or another."

Movement by the doors into the hangar drew their attention, and a male and female Iwa appeared, steering robust, tracked trolleys that were loaded with sturdy ore containers. Tenten skipped over to join them, and they smiled at her when she gave them a cheeky wave.

Sakura smiled at the others standing with her, and said, "You should come and meet the assistants, they're very friendly."

Hinata and Sakura walked briskly to catch up with Tenten, and Naruto and the men watched the enticing sway of their hips as they departed. The two girls greeted the Iwa in a friendly fashion, and the Forgemaster's assistants gave them a broad smile, as Tenten introduced everybody to each other. The group then began to make their way towards the rear of the gunship, following the ravenette's animated directions.

"I'll go and open the rear loading ramp!" Fu called out to Tenten, who turned and waved at her with a happy smile.

As the Nymph headed back into the Raptor, Naruto began to walk over to join the girls, but a metallic hand gently brushing his arm made him pause. He turned around and was surprised to see that it was Karin who had reached out to touch him. Naruto glanced down at her slender gauntleted hand, looking at where it rested against his forearm, and enjoyed the feeling of her warm fingers as they lingered on his skin. When he turned to the Oto woman, her face was flushed beneath her helmet, and she snatched her hand away quickly.

"Is everything alright?" he asked her curiously.

Karin gazed at him for a moment, before looking away, and saying in a quiet voice, "I just wondered why you brought me along to that meeting."

"In case we needed any extra details from you about your mother's deal. Also because you're officially here as an 'observer', so I thought you should observe that meeting. And also because I like including you in our crew activities. It's almost like you're one of us, and I like the way that feels," Naruto told her honestly.

Karin seemed to melt a little before hardening back into her usual mask. "Understood," she said flatly. Then she walked away towards the group. Naruto sighed and went with her.

After loading up the Raptor with ore, they said goodbye to the Iwa assistants, and Fu shuttled the crew back to the Invictus. Once they had landed, Naruto and Hinata unloaded the gunship, with Naruto carrying his share of the ore crates, while Hinata levitated hers via Telekinesis. They stacked the ore containers on the far side of the Cargo Bay, next to the storage containers of Etherite crystals and Onyxium ore.

After securing the crates to the deck via mag-locks, they walked back across the Cargo Bay to rejoin the others, who had watched them hauling the heavy containers around with interest.

"We should all head up to the Bridge. We can get on our way, and use the Briefing Room to go over the data the Iwa sent us and plan our mission against the Glowing Queen," Naruto said.

"An assassination doesn't seem like your usual M.O.," Karin observed, removing her helmet and carrying it in the crook of her elbow.

Naruto sighed. "It isn't. But we're hardly in a position to track down the other Uzu and force him to end the rebellion. If we take out the Glowing Queen, we take out his influence over the Iwa. I'm trying to just imagine it as a stealthy boarding action with a main target with kill-on-sight orders."

"Whatever helps you sleep at night, big guy," Hinata said, patting him on the back before stepping into the anti-grav tube.

The Pack and Karin went up to the Command Deck, where they found a bored Hana and Lee playing Space Chess against each other. They ended their game and settled into upright postures as the crew moved for their typical seats. Hinata took her place on the XO Chair and began to plot their path towards the Iwa homeworld.

Iwa space was not particularly broad, but it was very long, and wrapped around the edge of Konoha space in a thick band, neatly curtailing future human expansion in that direction. Fortunately, with Port Megara built as conveniently close to the Iwa's capital as it could be within Konoha space, the journey to Iwa was only going to be a short one.

"Ten hours," Hinata stated, before turning to grin at Naruto. "It's late. You sure you don't want to do a mission briefing first thing tomorrow? If we do it while we're tired and sleepy, we'll forget half of it overnight."

Naruto yawned, giving credence to her point. "Fair enough. Have us stop by Demladuhr Trading Post. It's far enough away we shouldn't be picked up by their sensors but close enough for us to slip in fast if there's an opening. Shikamaru, wake us up at 0600 tomorrow. And Ino, be on extra guard against any Iwa vessels."

"Got it!" the two AI responded in tandem.

As Hinata made the minor course correction, Naruto stood up. "Everyone, to bed. We've got a big day tomorrow. Karin, I hope to see you at breakfast. We'll be planning the assault no later than 0645 in the Briefing Room."

The Pack all nodded and made for the anti-grav tube, eager for a shower and then to get in bed with all their loved ones. Karin slid alone down to Deck 4, dearly wishing she could join Naruto and the others. But what right did she have to that kind of happiness? She'd done terrible things, and revelled in joy at her victory with each one. She'd murdered, and she now saw it as murder, thousands of AIs over the course of the years with barely a thought. She was a monster. Naruto didn't need a monster. The Pack didn't need a monster.

Naruto was unaware of the bleak thoughts of his ship's guest. He simply enjoyed the warm water and bodies as his crew showered together. They were starting to get too big to fit in it all at once. They might have to start imposing shifts or teams. Naruto chuckled at the thought that he had so many lovers they needed a rota for bathroom time. And since he hid nothing from the Pack mind, the others laughed too.

They gave Lee a full belly to cap the night, and then the lot of them piled into the extra-large bed that barely fit them all at this point. They soon were off to sleep, resting their bodies for the trials ahead.

Shikamaru woke them promptly at 0600 by turning on the lights and playing an old Konoha bugle piece called 'Reveille'. They all groaned, but got up. They funneled into the shower, where Naruto drowsily let Lee milk his quad, and then they all dried off in search of clothes.

"Am I going to be in the assault? Because I'd rather go to the Medical Bay and analyze the data from those Iwa yesterday. The more we know, the better prepared you'll be to fight them," Sakura asked her Commodore.

"I'm planning a small force, just me, Hinata, and Sasuke since we're the most powerful, or at least the most practiced. You can have fun analyzing DNA and scan results all you want," Naruto told her with a grin, helping Lee to settle back down in bed. He'd outgrown his old hakama and pants, but wasn't quite able to fit in any of Sasuke's or Gaara's clothes yet. The Pack were perfectly fine with him strolling around naked, but the man himself wasn't. He preferred staying in bed and having Naruto come to him for his meals. He kept himself amused by talking to Shikamaru or browsing the Holonet.

Naruto made a quick breakfast of bacon rolls with brown sauce, and even Karin was visibly appreciative of how tasty they were. Then they all filed up the anti-grav tube to the Bridge, and from there to the Briefing Room. Shikamaru helpfully pulled up the active scan of an Iwa Cruiser, the architectural plans for the Radiant Palace, and the passive scan data they'd picked up on their way to Demladuhr Trading Post.

Hana and Sasuke's eyes raced over all the data. "Wrecks. Lots of them. The Station Commander at Port Megara was right to be worried. I count eight Konoha Freighters and at least a dozen more from the minor empires, even one Suna saucer."

"They were taken down with Fusion Beams, definitely Iwa vessels responsible for the destruction," Sasuke continued with the analysis

"The Iwa follow the same design ethos as the Konoha, put the big guns in front and trust on maneuverability to keep the enemy in your sights. But with their better engines, they probably do a better job of that," Hana noted.

"In a fight, we'd want to take out their engines first if we could, and their retrothrusters with precision shots after that. Take out their legs and they can't sprint around us," Sasuke advised.

Naruto nodded. "Good to know. What about the Radiant Palace? Any secret backdoors or hidden entrances?"

Hana faithfully zoomed in on a map of Iwa's capital and showed a cross-section of a rocky mesa a few miles from the Radiant Palace. "Those tunnels were once used for harvesting lava, but that operation was made redundant, and abandoned centuries ago. We should be able to make our way into the palace using those tunnels," Sasuke explained.

"And the Glowing Queen's throne room should be… here," Hana said, highlighting a room on the architectural plan. "And if you raise an alarm, her secure bunker is about… here," she added, highlighting a smaller room not far away.

Naruto nodded. "Okay. Here's my general plan. We go to Demladuhr and wait for a Cruiser or some ship to come by looking to pick off more merchant vessels. We cripple them and scare them into calling for help. When that happens, we turn tail and make for Iwa, avoiding the reinforcements sent to kill us. With the defensive fleet reduced around the planet, we should have a much easier time sneaking in on the Raptor. We land near these lava tunnels, and the three of us use Psychic Speed and Invisibility the whole way. We slip past them all like ghosts, do a deep dive on this Glowing Queen to get data on the rival Uzu, and then shoot her in the head. Then we sneak out and head back to the Raptor."

Tenten frowned. "Won't that take a LOT of psionic energy? I don't think any of you have really practiced Invisibility enough to lower the power cost, and it's high-tier."

"Which is why the lot of you will be safe and sound up on the Invictus, and able to loan us energy. If this works, we'll all be exhausted when we come back to the Invictus, but we'll have cut the head off the rebellion with hopefully no extra casualties," Naruto said with a grin.

Karin raised her hand. "Might I remind you that I DON'T have an Astral Bond with you. What will I be doing?"

"Well, there's time to fix that right now if you've changed your mind," Naruto said cheekily. "Seriously, you can help by hacking the ship we attack. Take down their shields, get them to run maintenance on engines, whatever you can think of that will make it easier for us to batter them."

Karin nodded, looking determined. "I'll need help from Shikamaru, but I'll do my best!" she said strongly.

"Good girl," Naruto said, unable to help himself. They both blushed at the endearment usually reserved for one of the crew. "Anyway, I think that's everything. Let's go to the Bridge and get ready for our arrival at Demladuhr."

They got to their seats and wiled the hours away with conversation. A soft chime coming from the Sector Map drew their attention, and they all stared up at the holographic image, as the long range sensors picked up the Iwa trading post. The huge station was located right in the center of a swathe of asteroid fields, with clearly defined space lanes providing access routes to the station. They watched with interest as the Invictus made steady progress towards the massive station, travelling between the huge chunks of rock that flanked them on both sides. When the sensors had gathered enough information to display an image of the Iwa base, they were surprised to see that the facility was built into a huge, semi-circular bowl, hewn out of a vast mineral formation.

"Looks like a hollowed out asteroid to me," Hinata said with an inadvertent shudder, as she looked at the blunt towers and squat buildings that jutted up from the enormous hunk of rock.

Hana glanced up at her, and asked sympathetically, "Bringing back memories of Karron?"

Tenten shuddered. "I can't imagine ever going back to that place. Give me a few decades for the memories to fade."

"I don't think these are separate asteroid belts. It looks like these channels were strip mined through one massive field," Fu said, pointing up at the holographic image that floated motionless in the center of the Bridge. After taking a closer look, she added, "Do you see those fine clouds of pebbles in each channel leading towards the station? Asteroid belts look like that after Hana's finished testing weapons on them."

Sakura looked equally surprised, and said, "The original field of asteroids must have been vast! I don't think there's anything that size in Konoha Space, is there?"

Hinata shook her head decisively, and said, "No, definitely not. I've never seen an asteroid field like it."

The Lieutenant carefully examined the Tactical Map and said, "I'm not getting any power readings from that station. It looks completely dormant."

"I'll do an active scan of the facility," Sasuke volunteered.

"Everyone, keep your eyes out for any rebel ships. My gut says they left at least one in the area. We need to use them as bait," Naruto reminded his crew.

Fu had been studying the image of Demladuhr Station, and she glanced up at Naruto and said, "I think I see something on the right side of the station. I'll bring the ship around to take a look if that's okay?"

He nodded absent-mindedly, so the Nymph skilfully rotated the Assault Cruiser to starboard, using the retrothrusters to perform the maneuver. When they were facing the desired direction, she began to gradually increase engine power, bringing them around to the flank of the station. There was a sudden intake of breath from the crew, and they stared in shock at the series of holes bored out of the side of the space station, which they could now clearly see from this direction. The rust red armor had several big, ugly russet red scars, where the plating had been melted completely through. Rivers of liquefied metal had streamed down the side of the station, before solidifying once again in malformed lumps on the starboard face of the hollowed out asteroid.

Kakashi had been gazing up at the map, and he noticed dozens of disturbingly familiar shapes scattered amongst the debris. "Can you zoom in on that debris?" he asked Hana quietly.

Before the Lieutenant could do so, Fu turned in her chair, and confirmed the Financial Officer's suspicions in a somber voice, "They're corpses. At least fifty."

Hana looked grim as she nodded, and said, "Whoever attacked the space station probably caught them by surprise. It looks like they pierced the station's hull, and triggered an explosive decompression. If that Iwa station is anything like a Konoha base, then security doors and pressure fields would have been in place to prevent that kind of thing from happening if the station had been on alert."

The active scan was now complete, and Sasuke looked somber as he agreed, "They were caught with their pants down alright. The rebels probably pretended to be friendly, and hit Demladuhr while it was completely unprepared. The whole space station has been depressurised, and it looks like there's dozens of corpses in there. I'm getting no life signs, but picking up lots of biological matter."

"There," Naruto suddenly said, pointing towards the overhead map, and the Iwa Cruiser that had suddenly appeared at the edge of their sensor range. He looked down at Fu, and ordered, "Intercept that ship!"

Fu nodded, and brought the Invictus about, turning towards the closest space lane leading out of the asteroid field. This broad path through the hazardous belts of rock put them on a direct intercept course with the Iwa Cruiser, and would allow them to engage the blocky vessel.

"They appear to be heading for Demladuhr Station, probably on the lookout for more merchants," Hinata speculated, studying the Iwa Cruiser's projected route. "We should be out of the asteroid field before they get close enough to see us on their sensors."

Naruto nodded, and said, "Good. When we're on the edge of the asteroid belt, power down, and we'll hit them as soon as they drop out of hyperwarp. If they keep going, power up the Tachyon Drive and we'll interdict them." He turned to Karin. "You're up. Shields, engines, whatever. Just don't disrupt their comms. We want them screaming for help."

Karin nodded, turning to the floating purple hologram of Shikamaru. He at least had the decency to wear pants. "I can open the primary firewall within a minute, but the secured systems will have secondary firewalls. How good is your hacking?"

"I've been reading up. I'm faster and smarter than the best Konoha, which I suppose makes me a low-tier Oto in terms of scale. You'll have to give me lessons at some point," the AI answered.

"But then what would be the point of me?" Karin asked rhetorically.

"If you joined the crew, you'd get psychic powers, among them Psychic Hacking. That's where you go into the computer and interact with the digital world with your thoughts and actions directly," Naruto said sellingly.

Karin's eyes lit up at the prospect, before her familiar doubts crept in. "I'll keep that in mind," she said offhandedly.

Shifting focus, Naruto turned to Hana. "What kind of loadout do Iwa Cruisers have?" he asked.

Hitting a button on her console she brought up an image of the Iwa Cruiser in the Tactical Display. The targeting computer recognised its specifications from the active scan they had conducted earlier, and began to list the details of the ship's loadout and capabilities.

"Four Fusion Beams in fixed mounts to the fore, and three to port and starboard," Hana noted. "They're shorter range than our Beam Lasers, but they hit almost just as hard. I'd suggest keeping our distance, but their engines are much more powerful than ours, so I don't think that's going to be an option."

"Can you knock out their weapons?" Naruto asked her.

The Lieutenant frowned and said, "Only the gun ports are going to be visible, as their weapons are protected by massive armor plating. I might be able to, but it's going to be tricky, especially with their maneuverability. Their retrothrusters are buried in the armor too, but should be easier to hit. I could try disabling them like I did with the Kusa. Or if Shikamaru takes down their shields, I can get a lucky hit on their main engines."

Naruto said firmly, "We just need them incapacitated, I don't care how you do it."

Nodding, Hana said confidently, "Don't worry, I'll take care of it."

Fu had powered up their engines to maximum, and the Invictus raced away from the silent tomb that was Demladuhr Station, making steady progress along the channel between the asteroids. When she finally guided them to a halt by the edge of the last asteroid belt, Tenten powered down any extraneous systems, dropping their energy profile to a minimum. They all gazed up at the System Map, and watched as the Iwa Cruiser dropped out of hyperwarp, appearing to be completely oblivious to their presence, as it plotted a course around the edge of the field.

It was disturbing to see such a stocky, blunt, and ungainly looking vessel moving with such speed, and making smooth and elegant course changes. The front of the Cruiser was bulbous, and appeared to be a featureless expanse of iron-red armor plating. They could see that the armor on the hull was twice as thick on the front as it was on the sides or rear, with the Iwa ship designed to take advantage of their incredibly powerful engine tech, and keep their front to an opponent.

Tenten looked pensive as she cautioned them, "We do NOT want to get rammed by that big ugly fucker. Our armor is much more resilient than theirs pound for pound, but their front plating is nearly fifteen-feet thick. They'd tear through us like tissue paper!"

Sasuke studied the passive scan data and said to Hana in warning, "Their shields are up already. Looks like they were expecting a fight."

The brunette nodded, and said to Fu, "Alright keep the nose on them, we'll hit them in the rear at max range."

"Karin, Shikamaru, you're up!" Naruto called encouragingly.

Karin began to type furiously on the Intelligence console, the runic script of the Iwa flying across the screen. Luckily, Karin had a knack for languages, and she easily translated the runes into code for her to exploit and undermine. She typed for precisely 47 seconds before hitting the 'enter' button. "Go, Shikamaru!"

"Going," the AI drawled, cricking his neck before his hologram began to type on an invisible keyboard.

The Iwa Cruiser was just beginning to turn, having sensed the comm burst of Karin's hacking and realized they weren't alone. Fu, though, had kept their engines in the fire arcs for their Beam Lasers. So when Shikamaru cried out in triumph "Shield Generator down!", Hana reacted instantly. She pulled the trigger and six corruscating beams of blue-white light seared across the intervening space to slice the six Iwa engines right off the ship.

"Yes! Perfect hit, honey!" Naruto cheered with the rest of the crew.

Hana nodded absently, still in combat mode. "Get me close, Fu, and I'll take out their weapons and retrothrusters."

The Nymph nodded obediently and, as Tenten powered up the systems to maximum, the Invictus surged forward towards the hobbled Iwa Cruiser. The rust-red ship was already turning at a phenomenal rate to face them given it was just using retrothrusters, but Fu was the better pilot. She angled the Invictus off to the side to offer the top deck to the port side of the Iwa Cruiser. Hana immediately got to work, using the sixteen Laser Cannons on the top deck to shoot out with unerring accuracy the retrothrusters and weapon ports on the Iwa Cruiser. The rebel ship let loose with its broadside of Fusion Beams, but the Invictus' shields held strong. Getting a telepathic nudge from the Tactical Officer, Fu guided the Invictus to the starboard side, again staying out of range of the forward-facing weapons, this time much easier given the reduced mobility of the Cruiser. Hana shot out the tiny openings in the Iwa's armor like a master archer hitting the bull's-eye. Soon, the Iwa Cruiser was lame and nearly toothless. Then Hana took out the fire control tower for good measure and the Iwa Cruiser was rendered entirely defenceless.

A flashing light appeared on Gaara's console, and he looked up at Naruto and said, "We're being hailed."

Naruto smiled and said, "Put them through."

The viewscreen crackled for a moment, and the image finally settled into that of a blocky-faced Iwa. The armored Cruiser Captain's granite coloured features were twisted in fear, and he pleaded in his deep gravelly voice, "Cease fire! We surrender! What do you want?"

"We are the Wolves of the Federation! We have been hired by the rightful leader of the Iwa Republic, Chancellor Kurotsuchi, to put an end to the rebellion! What do I want, traitor? I want you to die," Naruto said in a grandiose tone that was just a step short of wearing a cape and cackling. Naruto ended the transmission there and turned to Hana and Fu. "Pick them apart, but leave them alive. We want them sending multiple distress signals back to the rebel fleet."

The two girls nodded and, working together, began to attack non-vital sections of the Iwa Cruiser with Mass Drivers and Beam Lasers, the only weapons they had that could get through the thick armor.

Gaara looked up at Naruto and said, "I've been monitoring their outgoing comms. I haven't been able to intercept their messages, but they've been broadcasting non-stop since we started taking out their weapons. I also detected multiple inbound messages, which are probably from reinforcements."

Ino was staring up at the Sector Map, and she confirmed Gaara's suspicions a few moments later as she exclaimed, "Picking up incoming vessels!"

They watched the map as several smaller ships began to approach on the right-hand side of the map. The handful of Iwa Destroyers began to make steady progress towards them, while Hana continued to slash away more armor plating from the immobilised Cruiser.

Hinata did some quick mental calculations based on the speed of the incoming Iwa and said, "The Destroyers are five minutes from jumping in."

Naruto nodded. "Take us back on a course for Iwa that goes around the incoming ships. With our sensors, it should be easy."

Doing as she was bid, Fu turned the Invictus, and once they were clear of any gravity wells, she engaged the Tachyon Drive. Hinata expanded the Sector Map, and began to rapidly plot a course in a looping arc that would bring them around to Iwa. With the enormous reach on the Invictus' sensors, they'd be able to see any incoming enemy ships whilst being far out of range of being spotted themselves. Nodding with satisfaction, she entered the course into the ship's Navigation computer. Once the Invictus was safely in hyperwarp, the crew sagged back in their seats, looking relieved.

Naruto grinned. "Excellent work, Karin, Shikamaru, Hana, Fu, Gaara, even Ino! That could have been a much more difficult battle if we didn't have your unique talents helping us!"

The named parties all glowed with praise.

"How long until we get to Iwa, honey?" Naruto asked his Matriarch.

"Two hours, give or take," she said, not wanting to disturb him with an accurate to the second answer.

Naruto cracked his knuckles. "It's only 0915. This all could be done before lunch!"

"Right. You, me, and Hinata just have to travel through volcanic tubes underneath a heavily-guarded palace, make our way to the throne room, and shoot the Queen dead in her seat. No big deal," Sasuke said with sarcasm thick enough to cut with a knife.

"Invisibly and at dozens of miles per hour, might I remind you. We'll be in and out with no one the wiser," Naruto assured his Chief of Staff.

Their journey to Iwa was unopposed, with Tenten and Sakura spending the two hours continuing with their research, while Naruto, Karin, and the crew remained on the Bridge.

They stayed well clear of any Iwa vessels, and with the huge range on their long range scanners, they were able to watch the Iwa ships whilst avoiding going anywhere near them. Sure enough, a big fleet of five Cruisers, a dozen Destroyers, and fifteen Corvettes flew past them on a direct flight path to Demladuhr Station.

"I think you may have made them wet their pants with that big statement," Kakashi teased their leader.

Naruto shrugged. "That's what I was going for."

Eventually, Hinata spoke up, interrupting the conversation amongst the crew. "We'll be arriving in-system shortly. It shouldn't be more than ten minutes," she said clearly.

Ino spoke up, her wings fluttering through the openings on the back of her dress she wore for Karin's sake. "There's a minimal defensive fleet around Iwa, based on the data from the long-range scanners. That reinforcement fleet must have been the bulk of their forces."

A smug grin spread on Naruto's face, and he said, "Good. Bring us in on the far side of the planet from any defensive fleet, and we'll travel down to this 'Radiant Palace' in the Raptor."

After another minute, the long range scans began to pick up the distinctive signatures of Iwa vessels, and a fleet of ships about the same size as the one they passed earlier began to appear on the holographic Sector Map. The ships were set up in clusters, consisting of a Cruiser supported by Destroyers and Corvettes, and they ringed around their homeworld to pick up any encroaching vessels.

Hinata brought up the System Map, and the locations of the vessels were tagged on the holographic image. The Iwa home system had a bright white sun, and Iwa itself was a large volcanic planet on the fifth orbital path around the sun. There were two other volcanic planets, a couple of gas giants, and numerous asteroid belts dotted around the system.

Naruto studied the map for a minute, quickly changing his plans to allow for the Iwa's fleet disposition, and said, "We'll use the asteroid belts to mask our approach to Iwa. Everyone else can stay on the Invictus in the cover of the asteroids, while the three of us take the Raptor down to the planet. The data we received from the loyal Iwa said that the asteroid belts aren't rigged with proximity mines, and have no sensor webs in place."

Fu frowned. "So I'm not going down with you? What if you need back up?" she asked worriedly.

Naruto walked over to her and gave her a reassuring kiss. "Hinata is just as good a pilot as you. And I need all of you safe and, more importantly, unexhausted up here. This will take a lot of energy, and most of the burden will be falling on all of you."

Fu nodded, appeased. Tenten and Sakura came up the anti-grav tube to take their seats as Fu began to bring them in. "Any luck finding the Iwa's weak spots?" Naruto asked his Medical Officer.

"Their biology is quite the conundrum. It's bizarrely unique, yet familiar at the same time. Although they're silicon based lifeforms, and not carbon based like us, their bodies follow a very similar template to ours. Vital organs in the chest, and a brain in their cranium. Orochimaru must have been very attached to his own body's structure when he was making his slave races," the pinkette explained.

Naruto nodded. "Head and chest shots it is. And I'm sure you and Tenten will come up with something more original when we get around to building a Genesis Chamber."

Sakura and Tenten seemed overjoyed at the idea of working together to create a whole new species. They rushed over to give Naruto a quick hug and a kiss, before going to their seats.

Rising from his Command Chair, Naruto said, "Alright, let's get geared up. Hopefully, the Etherite crystals in the Unobtanium will make them more responsive to Invisibility."

Tenten bit her lip. "I could have Enchanted each of our Armors, but I was scared about draining myself of energy too quickly and dying. I could do it now before you all go."

Naruto patted her head and shook his. "No, conserve your energy. We can see about Enchanting the Armors and even the Invictus later." So saying, Naruto walked into the Briefing Room after Sasuke and Hinata. They all stepped into their respective equipping frame and were encased in their Armor. They each grabbed a Quantum Rifle, Naruto sheathing his sword in its magnetic scabbard, and made their way back to the Bridge.

The team stood there, in Unobtanium Armor and armed with the strongest firearms in the Galactic League, and the crew watched them with supportive smiles.

"Let's go kill a queen," Naruto said decisively.


	50. Chapter 50

Hinata skilfully swung the Raptor around a massive asteroid with the barest usage of the retrothrusters. Almost all their systems were powered down, but with access to the passive sensors, Hinata had enough telemetry data to be able to plot a nice safe course for them through the asteroid field.

Naruto, Hinata, and Sasuke were all geared up in Tenten's variant of the Uzu, Beta, and Thrall Armors, fully protected by white Unobtanium plating on their bodies.

Naruto pointed to the middle of the red and black planet, and said, "The Radiant Palace is towards the equator on the biggest landmass. I can give you some more directions when we get closer."

The Raptor moved stealthily through the asteroid belt, in long, well-planned maneuvers that used the barest touches of the retrothrusters. The Iwa seemed completely oblivious to their presence, and the vessels out on patrol sailed past without a clue as to the threat lurking in their midst. Hinata brought them to a halt at the leading edge of the asteroid field, and once the latest patrol had cruised past, she gently powered up the engines, increasing their velocity to coast in towards Iwa.

There was a sensor net set up around the Iwa's homeworld, but with Hinata's expert piloting, they were able to drift closer without warning them of their approach. She brought them into the upper atmosphere of Iwa, and the dark red and black planet loomed large ahead of them. They began their descent, using only periodic bursts from the retrothrusters to arrest the speed of their fall, and while Hinata stared intently at her controls, her passengers gazed out the cockpit canopy at the planet.

Iwa was a volcanic planet, with huge mountainous ranges, and broad lakes of molten lava. Hinata was astounded anything could live in such a hazardous environment, and she thought at Sakura and asked, *What's the atmosphere like down there? Is it breathable?*

Sakura shook her head, and said, *All those volcanic fumes are constantly pumping sulphur dioxide into the atmosphere. The Iwa seem to be very adaptable to harsh environments, so they won't have any problem with it, but it's quite toxic for us.*

"Over there," Naruto said to Hinata gently, pointing to a large raised mesa in one of the mountain ranges.

Even from here they could see the telltale signs of life amongst the jagged skyline of buildings atop the plateau. Bright orange lights dotted the hundreds of houses, administration buildings, and commercial sectors of the Iwa capital city, the center of power for their old government. Raised up atop it all was the Senate Building, and even from this distance they could make out the imposing nature of its design as it towered over the squat structures beneath it. The walls were hundreds of feet high with heavy supporting columns running from the base to the parapet, all worked out of the dark volcanic rock that made up the surface of Iwa.

The Radiant Palace, as it had been recently renamed, was a beacon of light above the gloomier buildings it overshadowed. It was festooned in strips of orange lighting, and the bright illumination they provided made the new name seem very appropriate indeed. As they drew closer to the mesa, they saw that the lower sections of a huge rocky promontory were riddled with cave entrances, where it jutted out over a lake of magma.

Naruto pointed to the cave entrances. "That's our entry point. Bring us down nice and easy."

Lava bubbled and churned beneath them, and the occasional spouting geyser of boiling hot magma prompted Hinata to gain a little altitude, to keep well clear of danger. Her caution turned out to be well founded, as a rippling series of volcanic bursts sent large plumes of superheated rock high up into the air along their flight path.

Travelling at a slow pace to avoid detection, their inbound flight seemed to take a torturously long time, and if she wasn't wearing a fully enclosed helmet, Hinata might have been tempted to bite her nails out of worry. Fortunately, they managed to approach undetected, and she brought them in silently under the promontory, and touched down on a broad, flat jetty of volcanic rock, which had been built out from the base of the mesa.

Naruto stood, and said, "Right, we're up. Let's go."

They went down the anti-grav tube and then the loading ramp. As soon as it touched down on the jetty, Naruto strolled out at a brisk pace, his Quantum Rifle held at the shoulder as he scanned for targets. Once they were clear, Hinata pulled up the loading ramp with a remote, and then the Raptor was silent. Naruto jogged across the flat jetty, watching warily for any Iwa, and Sasuke and Hinata moved quickly to keep abreast with him. They weaved through old, heavily corroded machinery, the sulphuric acid vapour from the magma lake having chewed through the metal over the many decades since this dock had been in use.

Fortunately this lower area was completely deserted, and they were able to enter the tunnels on the lowest level of the mesa without seeing a soul. The tunnel was broad, at least twenty metres wide at the entrance, and had a high arched ceiling that met in darkness several metres above their heads. Set into the basalt floor, were long rails that disappeared off into the gloom, and along those tracks were several loading carts, which had seized up and begun to corrode. The whole dock had a forlorn feeling of decay to it that was quite unsettling.

The small group made their way swiftly along the tunnels, switching to mag-view to follow the train tracks, when the light from the lava outside faded away. It was pitch black in there, but the metal girders set into the floor lit up like a beacon lighting their way, leading them deeper into the rock, and upwards on a gentle incline. It took about twenty minutes at a fast walk before they started to hear the sounds of movement coming from up ahead, and a slight flicker of light began to brighten the tunnel far away in the distance.

Mag-view wasn't picking up any armed or armoured figures in the tunnel ahead, so they continued at the same speed until the sounds began to get much clearer. Up ahead, the left side of the tunnel opened out, and pillars were spaced evenly along the left side of the passageway, casting shadows against the right wall from all the light pouring through the gaps. They jogged up to the first gap between the pillars, and Naruto cautiously poked his head out to take a look.

*We're on the lower forge level. Time to power up,* Naruto told his Matriarch and Patriarch. They all nodded and focused. They slipped into Psychic Speed as easily as breathing, but Invisibility took a bit more effort. Still, they were Uzu, and psychic powers were their thing. They all shimmered out of the visible spectrum, leaving no clue as to their presence except whatever noise they made.

Naruto nodded. *Follow me, I memorized the layout of these tunnels.*

*So did we,* Sasuke pointed out dryly.

*Yeah, but I worked hard because I don't have a photographic memory. Let me be on point, damnit!* Naruto grumbled.

They surged forward along the walkway, Hinata taking a second to admire the view. They were overlooking a huge forge area that reminded her of the derelict steelworks back on Karron, which had previously built the digging machinery used to bore out the asteroid. Enormous machinery clanked and ground away, mixed in with the hiss of molten lava, which was being directed down channels through some strange kind of magma viaduct. There were dozens of Iwa working away in the forge, and the entire area was a positive hive of industry.

She had one last lingering look at the huge forge, then darted over to the right hand side of the tunnel, and sprinted to catch up with the others. She saw them huddled together behind another group of loading carts, so she crouched down next to Sasuke, and had a look around to get her bearings. They were in some kind of disused loading area, with pitted, worn, and abandoned machinery lying dormant around the room beyond. To their left they could hear the distant sounds of the bustling forge coming from tunnels that led deeper into the mountain.

*Follow me, and keep right,* Naruto said curtly, smoothly mounting the platform, and moving quickly on ahead.

They followed his lead, and the tunnel leading out from the loading room began to head upwards at a sharp incline. They're battle-trained bodies handled the steep hill easily, and within two minutes they had reached the top. *We're directly under the palace now. According to the maps given to me by Senator Kitsuchi, we just need to travel along a series of galleries, then there's tunnels that lead directly up into the Radiant Palace,* Naruto informed his crew through the Pack mind.

*What about guards?* Hana asked them, already feeling the drain from the Invisibility.

*We sneak around them, or knock them out with Psychic Sleep if we have to. No casualties but the Queen,* Naruto thought sternly.

*Yes, Alpha,* Hinata and Sasuke thought. They followed Naruto into the next room at a brisk walk that at Psychic Speed was faster than most sprints. Hinata again found herself admiring the local landscape. She was looking out into some kind of natural cavern, with pillar lined tunnels visible in the cliff wall opposite, at least one-hundred meters away. They were fairly close to the base of the canyon, with a twenty meter drop to the floor below, and what looked like a river of molten lava flowing along the length of the crevasse. She walked closer to the entrance of this vast room, and looking up, she could see dozens of bridges criss-crossing the canyon. Long shafts of natural light shone down from the surface, a good hundred meters above their heads. From all around them, coming from multiple levels, noisy sounds of clanking machinery could be heard.

They proceeded down the passageway, confident that none of the Iwa on patrol could see them. It ran in a straight line for over a hundred meters, before ending at a set of sturdy double doors that were currently flung open. This seemed to be some kind of stairwell, but luckily there was no one using this particular section at the moment.

There was a window looking out onto the canyon, and Hinata could see several Iwa roaming along the passageway directly opposite them. Naruto walked forward, to continue through another set of doors opposite the first they had just passed through, which would lead them into the next section of tunnel.

*Here's where we start sprinting around obstacles. Try not to touch any of the rebel Iwa. Just follow me through the tunnels up to the palace,* Naruto instructed.

The next ten minutes were a blur even to them, running at full tilt while invisible to all but themselves. They maneuvered around Iwa patrols, leaving nothing but a breeze in their wake. They crossed the second tunnel, and then the final tunnel with hardly any effort. They were aware that some Iwa noticed the double doors opening by themselves, but they couldn't afford to worry about that when their energy supply was doing nothing but dwindling. They made it to an empty room that was a few staircases away from the actual palace. The next couple of rooms above them were empty, but in the third, two Iwa soldiers gripped their weapons tightly, apparently at full guard despite the lack of an alarm. Naruto, Hinata, and Sasuke ghosted around them, not wanting to waste energy on Psychic Sleep unless they had to.

They raced along the passageway to a guard room filled with Iwa. They carefully moved around each of them without touching them, before making for the next room. The room beyond was a huge square stairwell, with a broad flight of stone steps spiralling upwards around the outer edge of the room, climbing skywards for at least another hundred metres. They started running up the stairs, taking two at a time as they rapidly ascended the staircase, appearing to be an indistinct faint blur to the casual observer. They went through the double doors at the top of the room and found themselves on the ground floor of the Radiant Palace.

Naruto pulled up the blueprints on his helmet GUI as a cheat sheet. *The throne room is centrally located on this floor. We just need to go down a few hallways, hope the doors are open, and we're in.*

They moved deep into the palace, passing an incredible number of guards. This Glowing Queen was apparently quite paranoid. They reached the throne room, which to their luck had massive double doors that were already flung open to allow entry. They slipped in and got their first glimpse of what an Iwa Thrall looked like.

She mostly looked like an average female Iwa, except that her skin glowed with veins of orange-red that gave off an almost volcanic luminescence. The effect was that she appeared to be composed of half-cooled magma. It was certainly quite beautiful, but not enough to brainwash a legion of Iwa to rebel against their government. It had to be a programmed response Orochimaru left behind that this rival Uzu was taking advantage of.

Naruto led the three of them almost right beside her on her throne, wanting to Spirit-Walk the absolute minimum distance. *I'm going in. Wish me luck!*

*Good luck!* his entire Pack projected, including Lee.

Making sure his stance was stable, Naruto detached his Astral form from his corporeal body and jumped into the Glowing Queen's mind.

It was confusing, as all deep dives were the first time. The mind is not a library, neatly catalogued and indexed. It was a riotous cascade of memories and knowledge, linked by tenuous to ironclad associations of emotion. Naruto immediately looked for pink, the color of love or at least devotion. Finding a promising cluster in the ocean of thought, he swam over and reviewed those memories with a touch. And so he learned the name of his enemy, and not much else.

Naruto withdrew from the Glowing Queen's mind and settled back into his body, noting with alarm that he was down to half his usual energy stores, and that was with most of the burden offloaded to the Pack. *His name is Larn'kelnar. That and his face are about all I could get from her. He just mind-raped her into following his orders. Time to shoot the Thrall and get out of here. *

Hinata and Sasuke nodded and both aimed and shot with their Quantum Rifles on the second setting. The Glowing Queen's head vanished in an explosion of gore, while her torso got a foot-wide hole centered over her heart, tearing through the back of her throne.

They immediately ran out of there, moving so fast that they were back in the guard room before the alarm was even raised. They retraced their steps across the bridges and back down the tunnels and through the forge, making it to the Raptor with about a fifth of their energy still intact.

"Power down," Naruto gasped, deactivating his Psychic Speed and Invisibility. "Damn, that was harder than I thought it was going to be."

"Considering how little resistance we had, some would call this an easy mission," Sasuke mused, taking off his helmet to wipe sweat from his brow.

"Those people weren't there, then," Hinata countered. "I just want a big lunch, a hot bath, and an afternoon nap. A full belly too, but those are reserved for Lee at the moment."

"I might make an exception for my crack team of assassins," Naruto joked half-seriously. "But let's get back to the Invictus before the fleet gets alerted to watch for outgoing traffic."

They piled into the Raptor, and Hinata took them slowly but undetected back to the Docking Bay of the Invictus. The whole crew was waiting for them, Lee in Naruto's old jumpsuit that Hinata once wore, looking positively exhausted. Karin was also there, watching worriedly as they descended from the loading ramp.

Naruto took off his helmet and grinned. "Congratulations! We can now put 'regicide' on our resume."

The Pack cheered, tired but wholehearted applause.

"I'm making a feast for lunch. Just let me get out of this Armor and I'll get to cooking. Prepare to stuff your faces in an hour!"

That got an ever bigger cheer.

Naruto moved to go for the anti-grav tube in the next room, when Karin stepped into his path. "Alright," she said, resigned. "I'm done. Waiting up here, no clue if you were coming back… it killed me. So, I'll do it. I'll join your crew. Just don't make me regret it."

Naruto's face lit up and he wrapped Karin in a tight hug. "You never will! I guarantee it! Follow me and we can get your first dose done before I start cooking!"

"What about me?" Lee asked, looking a bit put out.

"Yours can come after lunch. That should give me enough time to recover," Naruto told his newest Thrall gently.

Karin tilted her head, but she was smart and she'd been living with them for weeks. "Oh! There's… there's a 'reason' why your new recruits give oral sex to you, isn't there?'

Naruto shrugged helplessly. "I don't make the rules. My semen is what converts a person into an Uzu. It's ridiculous, but it's true. If it makes you feel better, you won't remember the first two times. There's a narcotic in my precum that knocks you out."

Karin dithered for a moment, but then she sighed. "I knew that joining your crew meant joining your harem. Might as well get used to it. I'm okay with this."

"Great! Just follow me, I'll get out of this Armor and then take you to the bedroom. You'll be out of it for 14 hours so you should wake up around 0200 tomorrow morning," Naruto explained as he renewed his journey for the anti-grav tube, shadowed by Karin, Hinata, and Sasuke.

"Looks like we're getting an Intelligence Officer after all," Hinata mused.

"Eh, she's grown on me. Like a fungus. She's not half the bitch she makes herself out to be," Sasuke thought aloud.

Karin blushed at their comments before following Naruto up the blue tube to the Command Deck. She watched, heart pounding, as Naruto stepped into the equipping frame and stepped out in casual clothes. He smiled at her, and her heart settled down. It was impossible to worry while being smiled at like that. He took her hand in his big paw and led her back to the red tube. They went down a deck and then Karin found herself walking the long hallway to the Commodore's Quarters. Naruto paused by one room. "This will be your room, when you move to this Deck. Most of the crew use their rooms for nothing but storage and privacy, since we all sleep together. But the option's there if you want it."

Karin nodded silently. Naruto took her to the Commodore's Quarters, Shikamaru or Ino opening the door so he didn't have to touch the button. Karin admired the luxury of the room, comparing it to her own back on Guren and finding it superior. Naruto led her over near the bed and sat down on it. He grinned shyly at Karin and said "This is the awkward part."

Karin knelt down before him and prepared herself. "I'm ready," she promised. "Let me be yours for eternity."

Naruto nodded and took down his pants.

Karin gasped. "How… how does this even fit into anyone?" she demanded incredulously. It was easily double the size of the few men she'd had dalliances with on the border stations.

"My pre is also a muscle relaxant. I slide right in, it's not like I'm an Oni," Naruto answered.

Karin settled down. "Well, I guess this is it. See you in 14 hours," Karin said, before wrapping her mouth around his head. His quad lurched, sensing some strange to claim, and pumped a generous amount of pre onto her tongue. She quickly zonked out, going about giving a mindless blowjob of the kind that Naruto had enjoyed exclusively until he met Hinata. He didn't see the point in holding out, so within five minutes he was unloading down her throat. He carefully extracted himself from her mouth, lifted her up, and tucked her into the bed, Karin naturally going into a fetal position around her enormous belly. Naruto reviewed the mental compartment that held her and reviewed the new Astral Bond.

That done, Naruto went to the Kitchen to begin feeding the hungry army he called his family. He chopped and sauteed and grilled, and by 1300 had a full-blown burrito bar ready and waiting for hungry mouths to devour. *Lunch bell!* he called out in the Pack mind.

The crew filed in, and all engaged in their usual ritual of kissing the cook before making their plates. Naruto was flying high after nine kisses, including one from Lee. Unable, or unwilling to wait, the man didn't bother to take his seat. He just slipped under the table and undid Naruto's pants and began to suck on him then and there.

"Someone's hungry for 'lunch'," Naruto teased.

*I can barely keep my eyes open. You were not joking when you warned us the energy expenditure would be insane. I feel like I ran a marathon and then had an hour-long spar with you.* Lee reached up to fondle his quad, eager to coax his load out. Naruto was helpless before such determination and quickly released his seed down Lee's mouth. The swordsman crawled out from under the table and waddled to his usual spot.

There were three options: beef, chicken, or pork, with two types of beans, three types of rice, and a variety of other toppings to choose from. Everyone made their own super-sized burrito and began to eat with relish. "So, we're already out of the Iwa system, right?" Naruto asked.

"As soon as I was out of the Armor. We should be back at the Beta Cephei system in 9 hours. I took the liberty of contacting the Chancellor and telling her the Glowing Queen is dead," Hinata said before all but dislocating her jaw to take a bite of her fist-thick burrito.

"Wonder what they'll do to all the rebels? They committed terrible crimes but they were kind of brainwashed by their genetic programming," Tenten wondered, already finishing one burrito and getting up to make a second.

"That's the Iwa's problem to sort out," Gaara said decisively. "This was an internal affair we happened to be asked to help with. Let it stay internal, just as it did with my people."

"How are they, by the way?" Hana asked, remembering the Greys fondly.

"Progress on the Legacy is going well, and the next generation of ships are greatly enhanced by the upgradeld Psi-shapers and Uzu 0.5 technology Tenten provided my people. There should be a second, larger shipment of Uzu elements waiting for us at Geniya Station," Gaara replied.

Kakashi sighed. "I won't be able to visit. My old armor doesn't fit, and I don't feel comfortable wandering around my old home in Beta Armor."

"Karin won't have that problem. She already has a Thrall's body," Fu mused, wishing Naruto had made a seafood option but never even thinking of complaining about his cooking.

"You could hawk your old armor," Sasuke suggested to his fellow lover of Naruto.

"There's a thought," Kakashi mused, eyes alight as he considered buyers and trades.

Sakura sighed. "I wish you could have managed to get a sample of the Glowing Queen's DNA. I would have loved to see what an Iwa Thrall looked like."

"We could always ask Kurotsuchi if she was interested," Hinata teased.

Naruto almost choked on his bite. "Let's NOT. Anko is bad enough, I'm not sure I could handle two heads of state in my thrall."

His Matriarch shrugged. "Just a thought. We took out Larn'kelnar's Thrall, why not introduce your own?"

"Because that might prompt him to make another and then have the two factions actually bash each other to pieces," Naruto pointed out.

Hinata waved her hand back and forth. "Fair point. So, what did this guy look like?"

Naruto paused what he was doing and, reaching into his psionic reserves, used Psychic Projection to show them the memory he'd copied from the Glowing Queen's mind. They all regarded the man in dark robes.

"Huh, a brunette. I was picturing him with bone-white or pitch-black hair," Tenten said lightly.

"He's not a holo-film villain. He's just… an Uzu," Hana told her.

Sasuke had a calculating gleam in his red Uchiha eyes. "Here's a thought. What happens when one Uzu tries to enthrall another Uzu?"

Naruto blinked and cut the Projection. "It's never been done before. I'm the first bi Uzu in history, remember? And like hell I'm going to try to seduce this guy. We're either getting his absolute surrender and exile from the Galactic League or his head on a platter."

The mood was a bit down after that, the rest of them not realizing how strongly Naruto felt about other Uzu. They finished lunch and all made for the Commodore's Quarters. Turns out the maximum occupancy of the bed was 10, so one of them would have to go to their own bedroom. Lee manfully volunteered, and trudged away to his lonely bed to sleep off his lunch.

"Okay, first thing we're getting the next time we have a major refit is a bigger bed," Naruto said decisively. And then they all fell into exhausted slumber, resting from their extremely draining morning.

At 1700, they all began to wake up feeling better. They separated to go about their usual pursuits, Naruto deciding to have a spar with Lee. It was a bit different fighting in person rather than in the simulation, in that they had to pull blows before actually hitting the other person. Still, it was great practice, and Sasuke joined in for his own spar against Naruto after theirs was done. Then Lee decided to see how Sasuke fared against his teacher's teacher and challenged him to a spar.

That done, the three men grabbed a shower and Naruto gave Lee an early dinner while Sasuke lapped at his asshole from the other side. Naruto came like a freight train, pumping Lee with an extra pint from all the stimulation. Then Naruto got dressed and went to the Kitchen to begin on dinner. When the crew was all fed, they went up to the Bridge to await arrival at Beta Cephei and the Iwa Fleet.

At 2200, the Invictus pulled into the system where the Iwa Senate had taken refuge. A flashing light on Gaara's console let him know that they were being hailed, and he pressed the button to accept the incoming call. The view screen flickered momentarily before the static coalesced into the image of an armored Iwa.

"Commodore Uzumaki!" The Iwa commander said in his booming voice, "I can't believe you're back so quickly!"

Naruto wracked his brain as he thought back to their first encounter with the Iwa Cruiser commander, and the creature's name came to him in a flash through his memories. He smiled, then replied, "Warden Dalomherlig, I hope you're well."

The blocky, granite faced Iwa beamed a broad smile at him, and nodded, saying, "The comm network is alive with talk of the rebellion falling apart! They say that the light of the Glowing Queen has been extinguished! I sense your hand in this, and wish to thank you for resolving this insurrection before it turned into a full scale civil war."

Naruto replied sincerely, "You're welcome Dalomherlig, I'm glad we could help."

The grateful looking Iwa then said, "Chancellor Kurotsuchi requested that you meet with her as soon as you arrive in-system. Please proceed to her ship, the 'Kerhom's Anvil' and dock with the adjoining maintenance stanchion."

When Naruto nodded, Warden Dalomherlig gave him a respectful bow of his head, then closed the comm channel. Without having to be prompted, Fu smoothly pivoted the Invictus, and followed a course towards the biggest of the Iwa capital ships. The Battlecarrier, Kerhom's Anvil, was just as vastly imposing as they remembered, and now the starboard side was festooned with some kind of robust looking framework.

Fu spotted what looked to be a docking collar on a jutting out gantry, and she asked, "Should I dock with that?"

Naruto nodded, replying, "Yes please. The Iwa must have set this up to carry out the refit we asked for."

Studying the elaborate maintenance framework, Hinata said, "Just bring us in nice and slowly, and try not to clip the superstructure at the back with our engines."

Following her advice, Fu brought the Invictus around in a sweeping curve, until they were parallel with the enormous Iwa Battlecarrier. When she had eased their Assault Cruiser to a gentle stop, she nudged them closer with the judicious use of their starboard retrothrusters until the docking collar fitted snugly over their airlock.

"Well done," Naruto praised her, when they nestled up against the Iwa flagship in a perfectly executed docking maneuver.

Fu turned around and gave him a huge grin, and Hinata had a proud smile on her face as she said to her student, "I couldn't have done it any better myself."

Looking with interest at the holographic representation of the maintenance structure surrounding the Invictus, Hana noted, "They did a nice job on this framework. It seems to be an exact fit for the Invictus."

Tenten gave her an impish smile and said, "I should hope so too! I did supply them with the exact dimensions they needed. We should be able to refit the engines and retrothrusters easily enough, but the Inertial Dampening Device will have to wait for Genthalas or Olympus. We'll just have to choke the power on the new engines until we can install it."

"We better not keep Chancellor Kurotsuchi waiting. Everyone coming?" Naruto asked.

"With the exception of us," Shikamaru said, waving a hand between him and Ino.

Tenten grinned. "I just finished the last of the Unobtanium plating for the Invictus. Your android bodies are next on the list. With the Atomic Manufacturer to do all the wiring for me, you two will have bodies by the time we're back at Geniya!"

Shikamaru and Ino looked pleased, excited at the prospect of being able to touch their fellow crewmates and not just each other.

Chancellor Kurotsuchi was waiting to meet them in the gantry on the other side of the docking collar, and when the airlock spiralled open, she smiled at them in welcome as they stepped through. She was accompanied by Senator Kitsuchi, and Fleet Warden Akatsuchi, who both had cheerful grins on their faces. Chancellor Kurotsuchi bowed graciously as Naruto and the Pack approached.

"You were as good as your word, Commodore Uzumaki. You have ended the rebellion, as you promised you would," Chancellor Kurotsuchi said gratefully. A troubled look crossed her face as she added, "I just wish there had been a peaceful solution."

Naruto nodded in greeting to her two advisors, then addressing Chancellor Kurotsuchi, he said soberly, "I'm sorry it worked out that way Chancellor. We have managed to avoid this escalating into a wider conflict however, and eliminating the Rebel leaders will have saved thousands of Iwa lives."

Fleet Warden Akatsuchi gave him a respectful nod as he said, "You speak truly Commodore Uzumaki. Our patrol ships are already reporting contact with rebel vessels offering to surrender."

Hinata spoke up, and asked, "Will the rebels go to prison for their part in this?"

Senator Kitsuchi turned to look at her and said, "Some of the rebel vessels were involved with atrocities against civilians, including merchants from other races. They will have to be punished, but most of the rebellious Iwa were led astray by rumors of an immortal queen, who would lead our people to greatness." He glanced at Naruto and said, "You have put an end to those spurious rumours most effectively."

"Happy to be of service," Naruto replied with a smile.

He turned to his left and saw several Iwa in spacesuits, trailing open tugs, making for the Cargo bay of the Invictus, headed for the engines and retrothrusters laid out clearly for them to pick up and get to work on.

"It looks like you were as good as your word too," he said to Chancellor Kurotsuchi, giving her a grateful smile in acknowledgement. "How long will the refit take?"

She walked over to join him, and staring out the window, she said, "I've been informed that the entire refit should take no more than ten hours." She paused. "I'm curious; you had the chance to negotiate for our best engines, not just the civilian versions the Oto purchased. Why did you decline to take that opportunity?"

Naruto grinned at her. "Frankly, because I trust my Chief Engineer when she says her engines are better than yours. She's the single brightest engineer I've ever met, and I'll take her work over yours, no offense."

Chancellor Kurotsuchi blinked. "But if that were true, the forces generated could kill all of you. Konoha are much less sturdy than Iwa!"

"We're not Konoha," Naruto reminded her gently.

The Chancellor got a troubled expression on her face.

Tenten walked over to stand beside the stately Iwa woman, and looking up at the Chancellor, who was several inches taller than her, she said, "Don't worry. I've developed a way of countering the huge forces involved, which will keep us safe. Until we can get to a drydock, and fit that system, I'll put limiters in place to restrict how much we can throttle up our engines and retrothrusters."

The Chancellor looked down at her, and with a relieved smile on her dark grey face, she said, "It sounds like you have everything taken care of. This new technology you've developed might be of use for our own ships. Would you consider trading it with us?"

With a grin, Tenten darted a look at Naruto and said, "He's the boss, you better ask him!"

Naruto grinned. "I'd be perfectly open to a trade. You're already providing us with Tyrenium. Do you perhaps have a black metal the Suna have named Onyxium?"

Kurotsuchi frowned, and said apologetically, "I'm afraid I haven't heard of this Onyxium before, although it's quite possible we have another name for it. I will speak with Forgemaster Gilgrem, and perhaps he might be able to identify this element for us. I'm certain a deal can be made there."

Naruto haggled the details with the Chancellor before shaking her hand. "Thank you again, for everything you've done for the Iwa Republic!" Chancellor Kurotsuchi told him. Naruto nodded, bowed to her advisors, and turned to make it back into the Invictus.

*Can we stick around and hang out with the Iwa? We were cooped up in the ship and Raptor last time,* Hana and Fu asked him. He gave them his blessing, and watched them happily walk into the innards of the Kerhom's Anvil. The rest of the crew followed him back inside the Invictus. With two of them missing, they managed to fit into the Commodore's bed with Karin. Her hair had already turned white, and she looked quite lovely with her new coloring. They all settled into sleep, anticipating a wakeup in a few hours.

Sure enough, at around 0200, Karin began to stir. She coughed and called out hoarsely "Thirsty,", her eyes too gummed up to open.

Big strong hands gently moved her into an upright sitting position and someone pressed a cool glass into her hand. She guzzled down the sweet water within, the moisture feeling perfect. She blinked her eyes open and realized she was naked in bed with most of the Pack. She almost covered herself, but none of them were leering at her. They just looked at her with warm, concerned looks and smiles. Karin decided she just didn't give a fuck about modesty and sat up proudly.

"So what now? Dose two?" Karin asked, turning to look at Naruto.

"If you want. You might want to look in the mirror first. And fair warning, you'll be getting long hair. I'm aware of the stigma that has in Oto culture," Naruto warned.

Karin shrugged. "Like I care what those bitches think of me," she said dismissively. She crawled awkwardly over several bodies to get off the bed, before going into the closet to look in the mirror. She blinked eyelashes that she saw were now a different color. "Oh, my. I knew in my head that it would happen after seeing Kakashi, but it's something else seeing it on yourself… I like it. It marks me as chosen by a mighty Uzu," she called out to them.

Naruto grinned. "So you're okay? No freaking out, no denial, no second thoughts?"

Karin walked back into the room, gloriously nude. She locked her violet eyes with Naruto. "I can't imagine a worse feeling than not knowing whether you were going to come back to the ship alive. I'll happily be your Thrall rather than go through that again."

*You'll never have to again. It'll take a while for you to bond with the rest of the Pack, but you and I are connected for eternity,* Naruto projected into her head.

Karin shivered. "Hearing your voice in my head makes me… horny. Does it have that effect on anyone else?"

Eight hands went up in the air as the crew showed their agreement. Naruto looked shocked. Karin took advantage of his surprise to crawl up the bed to him and take his semi-hard cock in her mouth. She lovingly suckled for a few seconds, before the narcotic took over. She then began to mechanically deepthroat him over and over until he finally filled her belly with Uzu spunk.

"For the record, I took the liberty while the Iwa are replacing the engines to use the maintenance bots to replace the armor. I should be done around the same time they finish the engine refit," Shikamaru spoke up. "Hana and Fu also came back, but elected to sleep in their bedrooms."

Naruto nodded sleepily, his recent orgasm having combined with his drowsiness to leave him feeling knackered. "Good initiative, Shikamaru. We'll be up in about 4 hours. See you then." With that, the Pack fell back to sleep.


	51. Chapter 51

Karin woke up, and again found herself in a pile of warm bodies, just without a distracting thirst. Naruto was right next to her, and had one big bronze hand on her slightly swollen belly. She blushed, imagining that it was his baby rather than just his baby batter. She felt a rush of horniness and almost thought of mounting Naruto right there to get that fantasy a reality as soon as possible. Luckily, saner heads prevailed.

She gently nudged Naruto awake, and the man smiled down at her with such an expression of tenderness that Karin lost whatever guilt or self-loathing she had over essentially abandoning the Oto for this man. He was worth it. Worth it a thousand times over.

*You're making me blush,* Naruto's voice sounded in her head, along with a feeling of smug pride and embarrassed joy.

Karin smiled back. *I'm just stating the facts. Make of them what you will.*

*It'll take us over a week to get back to Guren. Should we call your mother to let her know we're coming?*

Karin gulped. *About that… you DO know she plans to betray and/or kill you rather than go through with any of your deals?*

*I'm expecting it,* Naruto said simply. *But frankly, she couldn't go up against Kakashi at this point, and he's the newest and weakest of us. Just one of us would be enough to overwhelm her and whatever force she manages to squeeze into her rooms, let alone all of us. I'm planning to put the fear of God in her, and then have her decide between the three proposals then and there, no time to think. That way, she gets what she honestly wants.*

*That's… I would say impossible, but I've seen what your Pack can do. Can I be there, just to see the look on her face? She's never once been outmaneuvered or made to feel powerless.* Karin had a look of eager glee at the prospect of seeing her mother defeated. There were some major issues between mother and daughter.

*Sure. Just don't get hurt, or I'll be disappointed,* Naruto thought sternly.

*But then you'll give me a full tummy to heal me! Maybe I should try to get hurt,* Karin teased.

*No. Just no. No joking about your safety, young lady!* Naruto projected.

*Young lady? I'm probably older than you!* Karin thought back affronted.

*But you look young and lovely, so young lady I will call you,* Naruto thought with a nod.

Karin rolled her violet eyes. *Just let me go down on you, already!*

Naruto turned onto his back, letting his proud erection lift the covers before he swept them off to reveal the pillar of male flesh. Licking her lips, Karin eagerly attacked the task at hand, i.e. getting a belly full of Naruto's cum. She mouthed and kissed and licked on the top half, afraid to try deepthroating this monster, when she felt a hand on her head. Naruto gently but inexorably pushed her down and she felt her throat open like a flower to take in Naruto's cock. It didn't hurt at all, and she didn't feel out of breath. Regaining her confidence, Karin began to deepthroat Naruto repeatedly, going up and down and using her throat as a velvet vice to coax his load out of him. She was spurred on by psychic feedback that let her feel just as much pleasure as Naruto felt, so the better she did, the better she felt. Finally, Naruto roared his release, waking the Pack with both the noise and the feedback.

Karin savored the last mouthful of his cum as she would the last bite of cake at a party. She finally swallowed and sighed. "Am I the only one addicted to this taste?" she asked her new crew mates, her Pack, her new family.

"No," came the universal reply, making Naruto blush. Hinata scooted over to rub a hand over Karin's belly. "Hi, I'm Hinata, the Matriarch. My role is kind of unnecessary the way Naruto runs things, but it's my job to look after the Thralls. You ever have a big issue, come to me or Naruto, or whoever you think is relevant to the task."

Karin nodded. "I will. And let me just say that if the Oto Matriarchs were all like you, our society would be much less fucked up."

"Amen to that," Kakashi said, rubbing his penis with the sheet to clean off the mess of his release.

Hana and Fu walked into the room, naked of course, and crowded onto the bed. It could only fit 10 sleepers, but 11 sitters found enough room. "You two have fun hanging out with the Iwa?" Naruto asked.

"They're so friendly and open! Orochimaru must have been in a good mood when he made them!" Fu said brightly.

"We met with Forgemaster Gilgrem to go over the minerals deal. There are 60 tons of Tyrenium and 4 tons of Onyxium, or as they call it, vu-karam," Hana said in a low gravelly voice like an Iwa, "in the Cargo Bay. And the Iwa engineers saw the engines and retrothrusters laid out by the Raptor and decided to make it a two-for-one job."

Tenten pumped her fist. "Yes! I was worried that would take me and the Shika-bots a whole day to do!"

"Shika-bots? Really, Tenten?" Shikamaru asked.

"Oh, unclench, it's just a nickname. And with them out of the way, I can work on replacing all our electronics with Uzu circuitry, making enough holo-projectors to install in each room, and designing and programming your android bodies!" Tenten said, giving a thumbs-up at the nearest camera.

"They should be done around 0800 if what Chancellor Kurotsuchi told us is correct. What do you want to do with the next hour and a half?" Naruto asked.

"Breakfast, and then I have a treat I've been saving for when Karin joined the crew!" Tenten declared.

They all got dressed, Karin in the girl's initiate uniform of one of Naruto's white dress shirts, and had a quick breakfast of eggs, sausage, and potatoes with juice. Lee got his own breakfast on his knees, the bodysuit that could fit Naruto strained by the bulging belly. Then Tenten led them down to Deck 3, to the room across from Naruto's simulation room. It was empty but for chairs around the edge of the room, and a black, obelisk-like object in the center.

Tenten reached into a pocket and pulled out a crystal cube. "This is the memory core from the Uzu Mobile Computer that Karin was using as a hacking deck. It has two messages recorded on it, both from Guren, the original Matriarch of House Guren herself."

Karin's eyes widened at the prospect of a message left behind by her distant grandmother. "This would be priceless to the right buyer in Oto space," she informed them.

"Yeah, but unless they had an Uzu Holo-Projector, they wouldn't be able to read it," Tenten said. Then, loading the cube into an empty slot on the pyramidal top of the obelisk, Tenten rushed for a seat as the room suddenly changed, 360 degree holo-projectors reading the data on the stored memory cube and rendering it in three dimensions.

Guren's familiar face filled the image, her expression cast in a violet glow. She was seated in a high-backed throne and wearing long, layered ceremonial robes, which were not too dissimilar from the style Anko favored. When Guren began to speak, it was clear that this once bright and cheerful girl was no longer the same effervescent young woman they'd seen before.

"My name is Guren, and I was once Matriarch to Orochimaru," she began in a somber tone, staring bleakly at the camera. "I'm recording this message to warn future generations of the threat the Uzu pose and my dearest hope is to save the Oto from future enslavement."

Her expression turned furious, her eyes flashing with anger as she continued, "Orochimaru is gone and it's been six months since we last saw him. He abandoned me when forced to confront one of his fellow Uzu and I can only assume both were slain in the battle, ending the pointless and brutal war. Billions slain, whole planets obliterated... the Oto must never be abused in such a way again!"

Guren's eyes narrowed as she said ominously, "Their nature is to enslave, conquer, and destroy, in an endless cycle of carnage that's been repeated for countless millennia. Orochimaru told me that before he established what is now the Oto Regency, there was a thriving civilization that existed here. They were a peaceful people called the Achonin and while their mastery of technology was impressive, they were not a warlike species. Orochimaru smashed the ill-prepared Achonin fleets, then proceeded to commit genocide on a vast scale, destroying entire worlds and slaying billions in the process. Their entire civilization was exterminated, the last remnants facing a lingering death on scattered outposts."

Her expression was haunted with grief as she murmured, "Then it was our turn to witness that level of savagery and I can only pray that the Oto are never again subjected to such terrible loss." She looked despondent as she continued, "Orochimaru and his ship have disappeared, taking his technological secrets with him. None of the Thrall vessels that accompanied him have returned, so I've ordered a vast shipbuilding program at Genthalas to replace our losses and ensure the Oto are not left defenceless."

After a lengthy pause for quiet reflection, she slumped back in her chair, her robes gaping slightly and revealing her heavily rounded abdomen. Guren let out a long sigh, running her hands over her pregnant belly as she said, "I've recalled the outlying colonies, consolidating our people so that we might begin our recovery. Despite everything that the Uzu have done to us, the Oto will remain strong and resilient."

The projection ended, leaving them in silence. "We know he loved her. We saw the way he looked at her in my memory. Why would he abandon her while she was pregnant?" Fu asked.

"To keep her alive," Naruto said solemnly. "It's what I would do. I would sever the Astral Bonds and run off to sacrifice myself if it would keep all of you safe."

Everyone made their opinion on that perfectly clear, in a resounding negative, even Karin. Tenten held up a hand and said "Chewing him out later, we're only halfway through!" Clicking a remote, the Holo-Projector activated again.

When Guren reappeared it became obvious that this recording had been taken many decades later. She looked considerably older now, but despite the worry lines around her eyes, she was still a striking woman. Although she was no longer so tense and angry, it was clear that something else weighed heavily on her as she gazed at the camera.

Clearing her throat, she began in a confident and measured tone, "My name is Guren, leader of House Guren." She paused for a moment and looked slightly embarrassed as she added, "Just for the record, it wasn't my choice to name this House or our homeworld after myself, but everybody insisted."

Looking away for a moment, Guren frowned and said, "Now, where was I? Oh, yes! I wanted to add to my previous message; the warning I left for future generations." Staring into the camera, she continued, "There has been no sign of an Uzu in well over a century, giving the Oto time to rebuild and recover. Our borders are strong and well protected, our fleets mighty and unchallenged in this quadrant of our galaxy."

"I've taken steps to keep the nature of our people secret, ordering that the Oto conceal their appearance from all other species. We've largely withdrawn from interactions with the Iwa and Suna, so I can only hope that they forget about our history as the years pass," she said thoughtfully, tapping her finger against her pursed lips.

Guren frowned in irritation then as she growled, "Unfortunately my fellow House leaders have annoyingly short memories. It's almost as though they've forgotten about the threat the Uzu pose and have taken to playing politics, vying with each other for status." She narrowed her eyes as she continued, "They've even started referring to themselves as 'Matriarchs' and seem to be intent on trying my patience at every opportunity."

She gestured off-screen and a tall glass of some dark colored wine floated over to her outstretched hand. She took a quick drink, then winced, her other hand reaching for her temple.

"Are you alright, great grandmother?" a young girl's voice said to her from off-camera.

Guren frowned at her and said, "Stop fussing, I'm fine."

"Would you like me to get you some medication, revered Matriarch?" another young woman asked, her tone polite and respectful.

The older Oto woman groaned and replied tetchily, "Don't you start all that 'revered Matriarch' nonsense with me, young lady!" She paused, then smiled affectionately at her granddaughters, before turning to stare at the camera. Her expression was intent as she continued in a stern voice, "Stay vigilant and be ever watchful for signs of an Uzu's encroachment. I've gathered all the information I can in this repository, in an effort to help prepare the Oto if they should ever return. I sincerely hope that is never the case, but if one does, you must avoid interacting with him at all costs. Our people are terribly vulnerable to an Uzu's presence, rendered practically helpless at the mere sight of him."

With a final smile, she finished by saying, "Good luck to whoever views this recording. I wish you a long and pleasant life, unburdened by the dark shadow of the Uzu."

The video ended there.

"I quite like being burdened by the dark shadow of the Uzu," Hinata said cheerfully.

"Though in our case, it's more of a bright light," Sasuke added on.

Naruto chuckled. "I'm touched I get to 'burden' you all, trust me. Now, what did she mean by a repository?"

Karin had a look of terrible regret on her face. "She must have meant wherever Tayuya found the Mobile Computer. I never listened when she started blathering about the Uzu, figuring it was nothing but fairy tales." She pulled on a strand of shoulder-length white hair, it having grown dramatically in her sleep. "Look at me now, living her worst nightmare, an Uzu's Thrall."

Naruto took the Oto woman into her arms. "You were a much different person when you arranged her execution."

Karin blinked. "She wasn't executed. Mother must have been in a forgiving mood. She was exiled from Oto space instead."

They all blinked, even Gaara. He must have missed that one detail in his deep dive. "So for all you know, she's still alive?" Naruto asked excitedly.

"It was 13 years ago, and she was sent into the Unclaimed Wastes. She was probably raped and killed by the first pirate gang to find her," Karin said dejectedly.

"Still, you never know. We can go looking for her, if you want," Hana said optimistically.

Karin managed a weak grin. "Let's save it for later, before we go charging into the Unclaimed Wastes."

"The Iwa just messaged us. The refit is finished," Shikamaru told them.

"We were watching too, by the way," Ino pointed out.

Naruto nodded. "Well, let's set a course for Guren, stopping at Olympus Shipyard to sell off the Tyrenium and Geniya Station to pick up the Uzu elements."

"Three days to Olympus from here," Hinata offered helpfully. "Let's get to the Bridge and Fu can fly us out while I plot our course."

They all went up the blue anti-grav tube to the Bridge, taking their stations or seats depending on their office. Lee furrowed his brow. "What is my official role on this ship?"

"Combat Instructor. We've yet to test it out, but I know you're a master martial artist on top of being a swordsman. Once we teach you to shoot, you can teach all three to any future recruits," Naruto said quickly, having thought it over for a while himself. Lee nodded in agreement and took his seat next to Kakashi and Sakura on the edge of the room.

Tenten had them wait a few minutes while she and Shikamaru roughed out limiting software that would make the new engines go no harder than the original Konoha design. Then she nodded to Fu to get them out of the maintenance gantry. Fu lightly detached them from the magnetic clamp holding them in place and made for the Nav Beacon, maneuvering around the Iwa Fleet as she did. Once they were clear of any gravity wells, Hinata flicked the switch and activated the Tachyon Drive, sending them hurtling through space at hyperwarp.

"So, Olympus on the 23rd, Geniya on the 27th, and Guren on the 1st. That's one way to end out June," Hinata said brightly. "So, everyone off to do their own thing?"

"Actually, I'd like to speak to my mother, if you don't mind," Karin asked. "You all can stay here. And we should mask it as Naruto giving a status update on the mission."

They all looked at each other, and then Naruto nodded.

Wolves of Uzu

Guren Anko read through the report from her favorite assassin, and her lips spread into a heartless smile of satisfaction. Luna had managed to infiltrate House Ghilwen, then masquerading as a guard, had ambushed Ghilwen Aradrea's eldest daughter, murdering her in her own bed. In a surprising twist, Luna had been discovered while covering her tracks by the third Ghilwen daughter. In a spectacular display of creative ingenuity, Luna killed her as well, then staged the two slain Ghilwen women, making it appear as though they had fought to the death over some bitter rivalry.

Sending out a message to her shadow operatives, Anko recalled them to Guren so that she could brief them on their next target. Opening up the comm interface, her elegant blue fingers danced over the controls on her console as she made a call. After a few moments, the holographic image of Ghilwen Aradrea's wizened face appeared above Anko's desk.

The venerable Oto matriarch looked haggard, and her bloodshot eyes narrowed as she stared at Anko, adding even more wrinkles to her tired face. "What do you want, Anko?" she snapped in a temper.

Anko smiled at her, and said in mock sympathy, "I just heard about your recent bereavement. To lose two daughters like that. How tragic."

Ghilwen Aradrea's eyes widened in shock, and she blurted out, "It was you! You vicious bitch! When I'm throu-."

Anko laughed contemptuously, cutting her off as she snarled, "You'll do what? You pathetic old crone! You must have realized there would be consequences for your attempted attack on my daughter. Or has dementia started to take its toll already?"

Ghilwen Aradrea's face was incandescent with rage, and she swore in fury while Anko grinned at her in delight. She eventually tired of Matriarch Ghilwen's apoplectic anger, and blew her a kiss as she cut her off abruptly. She turned back to the reports from her planetary governors, and continued reading through their status updates on the sixteen planets under her control. The earlier mention of her daughter made Anko frown in irritation, as Karin hadn't made contact for nearly two weeks, and she was growing impatient.

A pulsing light on the comm interface drew her out of her reverie, and when she saw that the call was from Uzumaki Naruto, originating in Iwa territory, she sat bolt upright, her face eager. Anko accepted the call, and the holographic viewscreen flickered briefly before coalescing into the face of the Orochi- Uzu.

She put on a sincere smile, and said, "Commodore Uzumaki! How wonderful to see you. You are well, I hope?"

He inclined his head, and replied, "I'm fine, thanks Anko."

"Marvellous," she said jovially. "All is going well on your mission with the Iwa I trust?"

Naruto nodded, then said, "We've retrieved the Iwa engine schematics. Though I remind you that much better versions are available if you agree to my third offer."

The prospect of being Queen with, as her daughter repeatedly insisted, superior technology and immortality was indeed so tempting that Anko had considered actually accepting the deal as is. But it was the thought of that Astral Bond that undid her. Like hell was she giving some 'man' complete access to her innermost thoughts and secrets. He'd end up giving up the tech, anyway, when she made him her mind-slave!

Naruto was speaking again. "Anyway, Karin wanted to talk to you," he said before the holo-image shifted to another part of the Bridge. Anko couldn't help but gasp in shock when the screen refocused on her daughter, and she saw Karin's snowy white hair. She looked just like the Oto in the millennia-old images that Tayuya had recovered!

"Hello Mother," Karin said quietly.

Anko put on her most caring smile. "Karin. So good to see you. I'd wondered why you hadn't called recently."

"I was making a decision. As you can see, I made it. I've become one of Naruto's Thralls," Karin said calmly and confidently, nothing like the usual fear and subservience that Anko had come to expect from her daughter.

Anko narrowed her eyes. "What does that mean?"

"I've joined his crew, his Pack, his family. I will be his wife one day. I have cut ties with all I left behind. Quite frankly, when it comes to loyalty, I would choose him over you any day of the week," Karin said.

Anko grit her teeth as her face twisted into a frown. "And the point of this call is, what? To inform me you are now a traitor?"

"On the contrary. This is the last thing I'll ever do for you as my Matriarch. I'm calling to warn you," Karin said, still with that calm confidence.

"Warn me of what?" Anko demanded, forgetting their audience in her ire.

"You're gathering Luna and your other assassins. You think you'll be able to overpower Naruto and torture or blackmail him into being your obedient little pet. It won't work. His powers are too great, to say nothing of the power of the crew acting in unison. Their mind-shields are impenetrable. They moved invisibly inside a heavily-guarded Iwa building and took out the one target with one shot. None of the guards even saw or touched them. Naruto can lift tons above his head. They can send people to sleep with a look. If he wanted to, he could have raped you when you first met and then made you forget it, or worse made you like it. Luckily for us all, he's not that kind of man. But don't think any number of assassins or your minor talent for Telekinesis will manage to defeat us," Karin stated with all the assurity of saying the sky on Guren was blue.

Anko felt a cold chill low in her belly at the absolute confidence in her offspring's words, even as she felt her anger rising at the insult to her formidable powers. "What are you saying, traitor?" Anko demanded.

"That you had better actually choose from the three offers Naruto gave you. Because he will accept no other answer, and you are helpless to change his mind. Goodbye, Mother." With that, Karin's image vanished.

Anko roared out her rage and denial, even as a frightened corner of her mind prepared for the inevitable.

Wolves of Uzu

The next three days passed by quickly. Naruto passed the time with swordsmanship practice with Lee and Sasuke, sparring with Hana, swimming with Fu, talking with the other members of his crew, and cooking. And, of course, coming up with new and exciting ways to feed his two newest Thralls their daily loads. Seeing Karin go down on Fu had really done things for him. Hinata had recently started to play hide-and-seek with Ino, having decided to practice Invisibility so she could use it easier in the future. The AI fairy would look for any hint of an opened door or disturbed air to point out where the Matriarch was.

They were close to Olympus when they received a hail. Gaara reviewed it and said "It's a Freighter, the Melpomene."

Naruto shrugged. "Never heard of them, but put them on."

Gaara did as he asked, and the viewscreen crackled for a moment, before the image settled on the face of an overweight middle aged man. He had long sideburns, and he looked to be on the verge of panic.

"Oh, thank goodness you responded!" The man exclaimed with relief, his jowls quivering. "Commodore Uzumaki, we're in trouble! Our Tachyon Drive had a critical failure, and the explosion knocked out Navigation Control and our engines! We're trapped in the gravity well of a Gas Giant, and if we don't get help, we'll crash!"

Naruto frowned, his internal lie detector blaring an alarm, and said brusquely, "Send me the system data for your location."

The fat man nodded gratefully, and had a quick word with a colleague, who then sent them the requested data. Hinata brought up the system map, and the Freighter 'Melpomene' was clearly flagged on the map in a rapidly decaying orbit around an orange Gas Giant in the Delta-Ophiuchus system.

"They'll hit the lower atmosphere in three hours," Tenten said urgently, playing along for the cameras.

Shikamaru's hologram waved to grab Naruto's attention. He materialized a pen and wrote 'PEIN' in all-caps letters. Naruto felt his guard instantly rise.

"Tell me, good sir, is Pein himself waiting on your ship for me or are you just bait for him to arrive in his ship and attack me?" Naruto asked with a hard smile.

The man's fake panic turned to real panic. "I-I don't k-know what you're t-talking about," he said, MOST convincingly.

"We know you're working for him. Just tell us where he is, and I'll take him out before he takes you out," Naruto said flatly.

The man scoffed hysterically. "You may think you're tough shit, kid, but you've got nothing on Pein." With that, he cut the transmission.

"Should I divert course to interrogate them?" Hinata asked.

"No, I told Shino we'd be arriving today. Let's just wait for the next attempt. Meanwhile, Karin, I have a new project for you. How do you feel about hunting down an assassination ring in Konoha space?" Naruto asked, turning to his newest Thrall. Her hair reached to her lower back by this point.

She cracked her knuckles. "Show me the data, I'll see where it leads."

She easily cracked the encryption on the blocked numbers both Koeman and the Melpomene captain had contacted, but shook her head when she saw where it led. "Whoever did this is smart. They bounced the signal all over the Galactic League hundreds of times. It could take days for me to trace them back to the source. Looking at both of them, I can tell you they definitely originated from the Konoha Core Worlds. Shikamaru or I could do the grunt work of retracing the steps, but if we just wait for the next opportunity, I'll get enough data to triangulate his position."

Lee grit his teeth when he heard that Pein was beyond their reach at the moment, but he calmed down when Naruto flooded his mind with peace and love. "Very well. Let's wait for the next piece of bait," he grunted.

A few hours later, they pulled into Alpha Centauri. The Invictus kept to port speed, eventually getting hailed. "Commodore Uzumaki, please dock in Docking Bay 13. Vice Admiral Aburame is expecting you," came the pleasant voice of the comms officer, apparently not even bothering with protocol after recognizing their ship on sight.

"I told you this white armor would make us stand out," Naruto fake griped.

"That's Unobtanium, mister! Triple-shaped, at that! We're possibly tougher than even Larn'kelnar's ship!" Tenten argued energetically.

"Alright, alright! Forget I said anything. So, who's coming?"

Lee, who had earned his ears just that morning, was wearing one of Sasuke's outfits. "I, for one, would appreciate a trip down to Gravitus to shop."

"Me too, but I'm afraid of going out unarmored. Should we just pretend I'm from a minor empire like with the Iwa?" Kakashi asked.

"Worked for them, should work for you. If anyone asks, just claim to be from a new species," Sasuke said stridently.

Karin shrugged. "Since we Oto are officially going out in public, may I meet this Vice Admiral you all talk about?"

Naruto nodded and, Fu volunteering to take Lee and Kakashi down in the Raptor, Naruto led the rest of his Pack into the airlock and out into Docking Bay 13, where the Invictus had gotten that first crucial refit when it was decommissioned.

Konohamaru was waiting for them. He took one look at Karin and said "With all due respect, Commodore, where do you keep finding all these pretty girls?"

Naruto shrugged. "It's a gift, Lieutenant. I'm a magnet, ladies love me, I don't know what to tell ya."

Konohamaru looked put out but in a good mood as he led them on the familiar path to Shino's office. "What's the application process like to join the Wolves of the Federation?" the aide asked.

"They ask me, and I say yes or no. But there's a debriefing needed to go over all the obligations and duties inherent to your lifelong contract. If the person still asks after knowing all that, I usually say yes and presto, new crewmate," Naruto said casually, not expecting Konohamaru to be genuinely interested.

"Lifelong? You serious? What about shore leave and vacation days?" Konohamaru asked, shocked.

"If I feel the crew needs a vacation, we'll take one. If they feel the need to visit their families and we have time, we visit. Otherwise, work, work, work, all day every day," Naruto said honestly.

Konohamaru took another glance at the five beautiful women trailing after Naruto before shaking his head. "Nah, sounds too heavy-duty for me."

"Your loss," Hinata said with a wink.

Shino greeted them in the waiting room of his office. He shook Naruto's hand warmly and nodded with respect to the members of Naruto's crew that he recognized. He paused on Karin. "Oh, my. And who is this woman?" Shino asked, his gaze sharp behind his sunglasses.

"Guren Karin, my Intelligence Officer. As I promised, I went further afield to do my recruiting," Naruto said smugly.

Shino shrugged. "You certainly did that. I'm afraid I don't recognize your species, Ms. Guren."

Karin shrugged. "We're unseen by Konoha up till now, let's leave it at that."

Shino nodded, still curious, but shelving it for later. "So, drinks? I believe we have business to discuss, based on what you said in your call Naruto."

They arranged themselves around the fabulous window in Shino's office, offering a clear view of the three stars of Alpha Centauri and the traffic around Olympus Shipyard.

"So, you somehow got even more Tyrenium? What, are you a bloodhound that can scent it?" Shino asked in disbelief.

Naruto shrugged. "I did a favor for the Iwa, recently. It's confidential so don't ask for details. But they paid me with 60 tons of Tyrenium."

Shino almost did a spit-take. "How many tons?"

"I said 60 tons. I'll let them go for 25 mil a ton. That's 1.5 billion ryo," Naruto said casually before taking a sip of his sake.

Shino visibly relaxed. "Thank God you're not gouging us like last time. That's well within the budget. Just hand me your ryo chit and I'll take it all off your hands."

Naruto handed over the electronic wallet and let Shino make some commands on his console. Shino handed it over, shaking his head. "Every time we meet, the urge to run off with you and join your debauched billionaire life of adventure grows stronger."

"And I say again, I'll happily arrange an interview if you're serious. Just know that membership is for life," Naruto said with a shrug.

Shino sighed. "Never mind then. Now, anything else you can trouble me for?"

Naruto set down his drink. "Any news on Vice Admiral Ebisu and what he's working on?"

Shino shook his head. "None, I'm afraid. I've exhausted every lead I can get my hands on. With any luck, they scrapped the project after it attacked you and that was the end of it."

Naruto eyed his old comrade with resignation. "You don't believe that," he pointed out.

"No, I don't. Your next special feature might be you storming Beta Persei," Shino said in a sad attempt at humor.

"Let me know if something happens, and I'll lead the charge myself," Naruto said, reaching out to shake his old friend's hand. That done, Naruto and his crew made their way back to the Invictus. Naruto cooked them lunch and they chatted over drinks afterwards until the Raptor returned. While Lee and Kakashi put away their new wardrobes, Fu and Hinata worked in tandem to get them away from Alpha Centauri and towards Theta Aquarii.

They spent the next four days fucking around like usual, before they arrived at Geniya Station. They stopped by just long enough to pick up their shipment of Uzu elements, and then they were back on their way. It was a tense four days toward Epsilon Aquarii and Planet Guren. But the crew all shared the confidence Karin had when she talked to Anko, that they were able to handle anything the Oto Matriarch could throw at them. The two bright spots were when Tenten produced the android bodies for Shikamaru and Ino, complete with synthetic skin. It would take her, Shikamaru, and Karin working together a few days to program and calibrate the shells, but it was a major milestone for the AI's gaining a physical presence on the crew. Tenten also had the Shika-bots installing Uzu electronics and holo-projectors room by room, saving the Bridge for last given how crucial it was, around the clock. And Kakashi managed to bond into the Pack mind.

It was with a deep sense of anticipation that they finally arrived in the Epsilon Aquarii system, the home system for House Guren, and location of the planet named after their house. Fu received a flight path from Guren Traffic Control, and after a nod from Hinata began to guide them down to the Spaceport near the palace that they had landed at before.

Rather than her armor, Karin had elected to wear a short dress that showed off her legs. She was at least in sandals rather than heels, so she wasn't totally unequipped for battle. But then again, her new appearance might be its own potent weapon, given the genetic programming Sakura had found in the Oto genome.

Gaara noted a light on his console. "Incoming call from Guren Anko."

Naruto nodded and Anko's face appeared on the viewscreen. "Welcome back to Guren," she said, sounding delighted that they had returned.

Naruto nodded to her courteously, and said, "It's good to see you Anko. Are you available to meet, so we can conclude our business together?"

The Oto woman had an eager gleam in her eyes as she replied, "Of course, you should come to the palace immediately." She glanced at his crew warily, including her own daughter, and said "Perhaps it would be best if you came alone."

Naruto silenced the protests from the Pack mind. *The stronger she feels, the more crushing her defeat will be. I can handle this by myself. And besides, I'll have you all over my shoulder the whole time,* he pointed out.

Naruto smiled at her confidently, and said, "As you wish Anko. If you arrange transport, I'll be there shortly."

"A hover-car is waiting for you at the Spaceport. My assistant, Luna, will bring you to meet me," she said with a sparkling smile that didn't reach her eyes.

Naruto nodded, and ended the call, rising from his chair.

He got a goodbye kiss from everyone, and then he girded himself to walk into hostile territory. Shikamaru opened the airlock door for him, and Naruto looked around, enjoying the piney air. There was a blue hover-car waiting for him, with an attractive Oto woman waiting to act as chauffeur, but then was there any other kind of Oto woman? Naruto was aware that this woman was one of Anko's best assassins and certainly her favorite. Still, he was confident that the action wouldn't start until he was in the palace, the heart of Anko's power.

"Hello. Are you Luna?" he asked.

"Yes, I am. I've been instructed to get you to the palace with all haste, Commodore Uzumaki," she said with a very convincing smile.

Naruto got into the hover-car and sat down in the back. "Well, lead the way," he said.

Wolves of Uzu

Anko paced back and forth in her reception room impatiently. She had sent Luna to pick up the Uzu, and he would be here in minutes. She felt giddy with anticipation, and she could hardly bring herself to believe the solution to her agonising nightmare would be walking through her door any moment now.

Her mother had been a strong, powerful woman, gifted with incredible psychic powers, but cursed with mind-splitting headaches that had got progressively worse as she aged. In the end, her mother had taken her own life, rather than live with the pain any longer. Anko still remembered finding her mother's corpse with the laser pistol in hand, smoke rising from her temple, and her mother's once beautiful face ravaged and twisted with agony.

Anko had exhausted one avenue of research after another, until all she had left were the fanciful tales Tayuya told her of Orochimaru and his incredible healing powers. She'd hardly believed her luck when Karin had first contacted her about an Uzu at Geniya Station. She'd imagined she'd have to 'convince' him to make him heal her, but he had removed her tumor practically for free, asking only that she pay him back when he returned, as if she were ever going to do that. She was going to break that 'impenetrable' mind shield and make him her pet. And if that failed, she had her most capable and trusted assassins on standby to 'make' him cooperate.

A pet Uzu of her own. She gloated at the very thought. If he proved to be anywhere near as powerful as Tayuya or Karin had suggested, the other Noble houses would tremble in fear, rueing the day that they had dared to cross -"Queen"- Guren Anko. Yes, restoring that title to the ruler of the Oto regency, herself, would be a delicious victory indeed!

Booted footsteps coming from behind the door to her sanctum drew her attention that way, and she beamed a sparkling smile at Commodore Uzumaki Naruto as he strode into the room. "Anko! How wonderful to see you," he said, grinning at her eagerly.

She could barely keep herself from laughing out loud. The fool had marched into her abode completely oblivious to the horrible fate that awaited him. A small part of her reminded her he'd been present for that call with Karin, but she ignored it. "I'm overjoyed to see you Naruto, it's been far too long. You said you were successful in your mission?" she asked him, savouring the tantalising knowledge that her prize was so close.

Naruto placed a data chip on the table. "The Iwa engines you paid for. Now, I believe you owe me Oto laser schematics. And then there's the small matter of which of my three offers you're going to choose."

Anko took a seat. "Perhaps you could tell me more details of your expedition first?"

Naruto shrugged. He launched into a play-by-play of their entire trip, which Anko entirely missed. Almost as soon as he began to talk, she had Spirit-Walked over to his side. She regarded the golden crown of light atop his Astral form from every angle, finding no weaknesses whatsoever. She grit her teeth, Karin's words proving true. Uzu mind-shields were impenetrable.

Suddenly, something grabbed her throat. She sputtered, and saw with shock that Naruto's Astral form had grabbed her with his big fist. His eyes were pits of blue fire, and Anko struggled even though she had no need to breathe in this form. After ten seconds, Naruto deliberately let her go. Anko rushed back to her body, heaving in a great gasp of air.

"It's rude to try and break into people's minds without permission, Anko," Naruto told her, as if she were a misbehaving child.

Anko hid behind her fear with rage. "Guards!" she roared.

Luna and two of her associates charged into the room. Naruto didn't even look at them. He waved his hand in their direction and they collapsed to the ground, dead or unconscious, Anko couldn't tell. Naruto came to his feet.

Anko backed out of the room, her whole body quivering with terror as he began to walk after her at a measured pace. Forming a devastating telekinetic strike with her mind, she lashed out at him, sending a spear of force racing towards him to pierce his heart.

He chuckled with humor, and an ethereal shield made up of blue hexagons appeared in an instant, deflecting her most potent attack as one would swat away a fly. Gathering every last vestige of her willpower, she threw everything she had at him. A storm of razor-sharp telekinetic shards appeared in the air, floating in a broad sphere around him, before flashing down to lacerate his body. His shield appeared again, but this time surrounding his whole body, and her telekinetic swarm rebounded harmlessly.

Anko backed into a wall and watched his inexorable approach with true, complete fear. She closed her eyes, not wanting to see her death as it came. She felt his hand wrap around her throat in the flesh, though he kept the pressure light. "I could snap your neck like a toothpick right now. I could do anything I wanted to you. I could tear down your mind-shield and make YOU my pet, the way you intended for me," Naruto told her in a calm, measured voice.

Anko shuddered. "I don't need a monologue. Just do what you're going to do and be done with it."

And, to her surprise, he let go of her neck. She opened her eyes to see him standing a few steps away from her, arms crossed.

"I will, as soon as you give me your answer. Do I just leave, do I give you more tech, or do I make you Queen? I'm still waiting," Naruto said in utter seriousness.

Anko blinked, unable to comprehend the situation. "You're… letting me go? After what I tried to do to you?"

"You tried. You failed. I decided to be the bigger person and forgive you. Now, tell me which you picked or I'll just walk out the door and never return," Naruto said implacably.

Anko experienced a moment of clarity. This man was her superior. In strength, in power, in morality, everything. She would never rule above him, and she refused to serve beneath him. What did that leave her, except to stand beside him, on his level, equals?

"Make me Queen," Anko said in a trembling voice. "I don't care what it takes. Just let me wear the crown you win me."

Naruto grinned and held out his hand. "We have a deal?"

Anko took his hand and, aware she was affecting the very course of her life, shook.


	52. Chapter 52

The Pack, who had been following the events in Anko's chambers via the Pack mind, moved out the moment Naruto secured an invitation for his crew to the Palace from Anko. Karin was their handy guide towards the garage where she kept her hover-car. The aliens caused the expected stir, but most of the attention seemed to be centered on Karin and Kakashi. Their ears picked up comments such as "Such a nice color" or "How pretty" from passersby.

When they were safely squished in Karin's hover-car, Sakura spoke up. "The genetic programming Orochimaru made for the Oto's response to Thralls must be extremely powerful. They hardly noticed that you two were escorting aliens in the heart of Oto space."

"I could get used to women falling over themselves at the sight of me," Kakashi said cheekily.

Karin eyed her fellow Oto in the rearview mirror. "I was just thinking the same thing. I wonder why they didn't have this reaction to Naruto the last time he was here."

"Everyone who saw him did so for less than a minute. Maybe the response to Uzu takes a bit longer to kick in," Hinata mused.

"Am I the only one against enthralling a woman who literally tried to kill Naruto not 15 minutes ago?" Sasuke wondered aloud.

"You know his plan to save the Oto. He needs Anko's influence, and her fleet," Hana reminded the Patriarch.

"Imagine, a fleet of Uzu grade ships! The first in history, since Orochimaru never shared his level of tech with his Thralls the way Naruto is," Tenten cheered, all but salivating at the thought of such destructive potential.

They arrived at the palace, and Karin again led them through the innards of the palace. Everyone who took one look at the group stopped what they were doing in shock, and a second look at Karin or Kakashi had them practically swooning. Karin soon led them into her mother's chambers, met by a blushing Luna, Ilyana, and Almari. Karin patted them on the shoulder. "It's okay, Psychic Sleep has worked on better women than you," Karin reassured them. Then she led the crew past the shocked assassins into her mother's waiting area.

Naruto and Anko were there, enjoying some wine and conversation, waiting for the crew to arrive. Naruto set down his glass when he saw them and gave them each a welcome kiss. When he finished with all 10 of them, he turned to Anko. "Now that we're all here, let's discuss exactly how the next few days are going to work."

Anko nodded, unsure of herself. For once, she wasn't in charge. "How is that?"

"Tenten has already prepared all our new weapons, as well as a new Power Core and Tachyon Drive. We just need an expert team to uninstall the old gear and install the new ones. I want us gone by the time three days have gone by. As for your conversion, I won't have time to give you extra psychic powers, but I can establish an Astral Bond so you can borrow energy from me and the Pack whenever you need it," Naruto listed out.

Anko nodded. "And as for the tech?"

"We'll upload you the schematics as soon as we get back to the Invictus. You can start refitting your Fleet whenever you want. Be warned, some of them call for exotic isotopes, so you might have to do some experiments with a heavy fusion reactor to produce the ores," Naruto told Anko.

Anko eyed her daughter. "Will my hair have to grow that long?" she asked, clearly against declaring herself a slut.

"You can cut it if you want, just know that I like it long," Naruto said guilelessly. "So, you should know that the first dose of my DNA will knock you out for 14 hours. You should send the orders to Genthalas now before you're out of it."

Anko nodded and called for Luna. "Send the order to Genthalas. The white Konoha Cruiser has permission to dock, and I want a hundred of our best engineers ready to assist them with their refit."

Luna gave an odd Oto salute and bowed. "It will be done, honored Matriarch." With that, Luna left the room.

Naruto looked impressed. "Must be nice, bark orders and things get done."

"It's quite pleasant," Anko agreed while the crew all side-eyed Naruto. As if they wouldn't jump when he snapped if he wanted. "Now, what's this about a dose of your DNA? Do I have to drink your blood?"

Naruto chuckled nervously. "No, not my blood."

"What then?" Anko asked, curious.

Karin sighed, rolling her eyes. "His seed, mother. You have to drink his seed."

Anko gaped at first her daughter and then Naruto. "Are you serious?"

"As the grave. I didn't come up with the rules. That's just the way things work. You only need to have 21 or so total to get all our psychic powers. After that, you never have to give me one again," Naruto swore.

Anko blushed, but nodded. She'd already decided her fate. "My bedroom is over there. I'll be out for 14 hours, you say? That means I'll be up a bit before dawn. I'll come up on my personal ship to join you all at Genthalas. You all can leave as soon as… things are done in there," Anko said haltingly. She turned and strode towards her bedroom. Naruto shared an awkward glance with his crew and then followed after her.

The bedchamber was richly appointed, as befitting the most powerful Matriarch in the Oto Regency. Anko was sitting on a four-poster bed with rich purple and gold draping. Naruto sat down beside her, and offered her his hand. She took it.

"I've never done… oral sex before. I've received it, and I've had vaginal, but I've never given a man a 'blowjob', as they call it," Anko confessed.

"Well, you won't remember the first two times. And from the third onward, just do what feels natural. Your body will remember how to please me," Naruto tried to reassure her.

She nodded and went to her knees at his feet. "Let's just get this out of the way," she said tetchily. Naruto undid his button and zipper, pulling out his engorged cock. "Fuck!" Anko shouted.

"That's the idea, yes," Naruto said cheekily. "Just put the head in your mouth, and next thing you know, it'll be morning."

Anko nodded and looked up at him with golden-brown eyes. "Yes, my King," she said before taking the spongy helmet within her lips. Turns out that being called 'King' did things to Naruto, and within three minutes he was unloading down Anko's throat. Her Astral Bond flared to life in his mind. As per his wishes, she was set up as a second Matriarch, separate from Hinata and Sasuke but on their level. He lifted her up, tucked her into bed, gave her belly a little rub, and then walked out to face his crew.

"Well, she'll have white hair tomorrow," Naruto said by way of explanation, as if they hadn't followed along with the Pack mind.

"Yes, my King," they all said in unison with shit-eating grins.

Naruto sighed. "How long until I live that one down?"

"A while," Karin said. "So, my boyfriend just got some from my mother. I should feel disgusted, but I'm actually a bit turned on. These behavior modifications really are something."

"We've discussed this, Karin. You two never have to be in the bedroom at the same time if you don't want," Naruto raced to reassure her.

"And if I do want?" Karin asked innocently.

Naruto suddenly felt a nosebleed coming on.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Let's get back to the Invictus and see about cleaning out all those weapons and big hunks of equipment from the Cargo Bay. It's getting real cluttered."

Karin led them back through the palace and Guren capital, utterly shameless of her long hair. She and Kakashi created gossip wherever they went, the aliens in their midst all but forgotten. Soon they were back at the Invictus, Ino cheerfully announcing that no one had so much as breathed on the ship. They filed up to the Bridge and Fu skillfully lifted them out of the Spaceport and into orbit. They approached the massive Genthalas Shipyard.

Gaara flicked the switch when he saw an incoming hail. "Incoming Konoha Cruiser, you are on approach vector for Genthalas Shipyard. Either alter your course heading or be destroyed," came the harsh voice of a female comms officer.

Karin frowned and leaned forward. "This is Guren Karin. My mother personally authorized this vessel to dock and receive a refit from a hundred of our best engineers. Are you all so incompetent that you don't communicate to each other?" she asked in a haughty voice that brought up bad memories with the crew.

"M-my apologies, Lady Guren! You're cleared for Docking Bay 1. You'll find your engineers waiting for you!" the comms officer said desperately after a short pause.

"Very well. Go about your job while you still have one," Karin said imperiously before signalling Gaara to end the call. "Sorry about that, but bark is the only language most Oto speak."

Naruto grinned. "Your past doesn't define your present. Use what you know if it helps, it's fine with us."

Hana sat up explosively. "That's it!"

Sasuke frowned. "What's what?"

"The Dragon March traitor! I can look at the past actions of each of the Admirals and discover their style! Then I can recheck the Dragon March orders and match the traitor's style to the right Admiral!" Hana exclaimed.

Naruto blinked. "If you can get concrete proof of the traitor's existence, then a trip back to Olympus just became first priority. The moment the Invictus is done and Anko has her third load, we're out of here."

Hana had Shikamaru pull up every order ever made by the Admirals since they were Commodores and plotted them onto a map of Konoha space. She relaxed and just let her mind absorb the information, getting a feel for the minds behind the three separate styles. She began to see how they thought and reacted to situations, building up a detailed analysis of each of their distinctive styles. Utatane was cautious, always wary about over-committing her forces. Santini was bold, and liked the idea of a heroic final battle, luring the enemy into major fleet engagements. That left Mitokado, who liked to deceive a foe with feints, hiding his vulnerable areas while springing devastating counter attacks.

Her eyes widened as she recognized the hand of the traitor all over the tragedies plaguing the Terran Federation in the Dragon March conflict. Hana had identified the High Command traitor at long last. She knew it without a shadow of a doubt in her mind.

"It's Mitokado! I'm sure of it. His fingerprints are all over the losses we've suffered. He's coordinated with the Kumo exactly the same way he has with our allies in the past."

Hinata frowned. "But Admiral Mitokado is a man. How could Larn'kelnar have his hand behind this, unless he's bi like Naruto?"

"Well, the only woman in High Command in the Dragon March is Admiral Utatane. If she's been enthralled, maybe she seduced Mitokado to become a traitor," Sasuke reasoned.

"So then, who's responsible for Vice Admiral Ebisu and the Nexus fleet? Utatane or Mitokado?" Naruto asked.

Hana considered it. "Making an AI fleet to conserve our forces sounds like something that Utatane would do. In any case, we NEED to get this data to High Command. There's at least one traitor in the Dragon March. And I don't trust this kind of information to a comm channel, no matter how encrypted it is."

"We need to tell Shino in person. You need to show him this proof, Hana," Naruto said firmly.

Fu led them into an enormous drydock, with a small army of jumpsuited engineers mulling around, all of them female. She settled the Invictus down and joined the rest of them in heading down the red tube.

"My distant cousin, Makaela, is in charge of Genthalas. She's probably come to meet us, given this is unprecedented, refitting an alien vessel," Karin explained as they piled into the airlock. True to her word, a slightly older Oto than Karin was waiting on the other side of the door. Her eyes widened in shock when she saw Karin with long hair.

"Hello, Makaela, it's good to see you," Karin said wryly to the astonished Oto Shipyard Commander.

Makaela couldn't tear her eyes off Karin's long flowing white hair, and looked intrigued as she said with amusement, "That's certainly a bold haircut, Karin. I never realised you were that way inclined."

Karin set her jaw firmly, and said brazenly, "What can I say? I finally found myself a man who brought out my wilder side."

Makaela's sparkling sapphire eyes darted over to Naruto, and she studied him in fascination. "You're the brawniest, palest Oto I've ever seen," she joked with a smirk on her face.

"Please, call me Naruto," he said, studying Makaela in turn. Like all the other Oto they had met in the House Guren worlds, she was a tall, statuesque woman with sky blue skin, and short dark hair. He then turned, and said, "And this is my second-in-command, Hinata, and the rest of my crew."

Makaela blinked twice when she saw the bluenette girl, finally noticing her for the first time. She shot Karin a furious glance and asked heatedly, "What are you thinking, bringing a Konoha here? And for that matter, why did your mother order me to let a Konoha warship land on Genthalas? Have you completely lost your mind? What the hell are they doing in Oto space?!"

Karin waited calmly for Makaela's barrage of questions to end before she replied in a brusque manner, "Naruto is a close ally of House Guren. By which I mean he is my mother's 'close, personal friend'. We will be refitting his ship with the weapons they have stored in their Cargo Bay, and they will have full access to all the facilities here at Genthalas."

Makaele's blue eyes bulged out of her head as she gawped at Karin in shock, and blurted, "You can't possibly be serious, Karin!"

Karin smiled at her dangerously, and replied, "Oh, but I am Makaela. Anko is coming here to personally oversee your work tomorrow, and she intends to make sure it's done to her satisfaction. We've given you a long leash up here on Genthalas, but you know what will happen if you disappoint our Matriarch."

With a deeply worried frown, Makaela gave a hesitant nod as she said, "Alright, you'll have my full cooperation."

Karin quite deliberately channeled psychic energy to her eyes to make them glow, and made her long tresses swirl in a phantom wind. "Good. And we'll need a podium and a lectern. Naruto and I will address the five work crews before they begin."

Shaken to the core, Makaela was trembling slightly, but she nodded her acquiescence to Karin's orders. "I will do as you command, Karin," she said in a subdued voice.

She turned and hurried away, only glancing back once to steal a quick look at Naruto before she disappeared through a door out of the drydock. When she was gone, Karin grinned at Naruto and whispered furtively, "You've no idea how satisfying that was! She bullied me for years when we were children."

Naruto smiled at her and said, "You were very impressive. Do you think there's any chance she'll try and betray you, or subvert your orders?"

Karin shook her head firmly as she said, "Makaela is a bully, but she's also a coward. She would never dream of disobeying my mother."

A podium and lectern were soon set up and Karin walked up alongside Naruto to address the hundred women assembled to work on the Invictus. They all paused what they were doing to stare up at the both of them, a number of jaws dropping. Karin, unimpeded, took her place at the lectern. "I am Lady Guren Karin, daughter of Guren Anko. I speak today in her place."

"Thank you for gathering here to hear me today," Karin began in her clear voice. "You are all blessed with an opportunity to serve your House, by working on a critically important task, which will affect the lives of millions of Oto."

The Oto engineers watched her spellbound, listening intently to every word.

Karin glanced Naruto's way, and said, "This man, Uzumaki Naruto, is House Guren's closest ally. We are going to assist him with the refit of his ship using experimental weaponry of his crew's creation."

There was shocked murmurs among the engineers. Helping a Konoha? What was their Matriarch thinking?

Karin smiled brightly. "This man, and his crew, act with my mother's full authority during this refit," Karin continued relentlessly. "Any acts of disobedience or disrespect to them, will be a direct defiance of my mother's will, and that woman will have to answer to her personally. Have I made myself perfectly clear?"

"Yes Lady Guren!" the engineers all said, cowed at the prospect of disappointing Anko.

"Very good. Makaela will liaise with me to allocate you to your work crews," Karin said with a pleasant smile. She then added ominously, "You have a great opportunity to impress us with your hard work and dedication. I would advise you not to disappoint us."

With that, Karin stepped aside. Naruto took her place, and there were gasps from the crowd. "I just want to say how grateful I am to you ladies for all your hard work. Within two days, this ship will be unrecognizable. I want to personally thank each of you and every Oto engineer in general for your service and dedication." With a beaming smile and a cheerful wave, Naruto turned and walked off the podium with Karin.

*I think your speech worked better than mine at motivating them,* Karin noted wryly, seeing how many blushes and excited conversations had sprung up in the wake of Naruto's brief talk.

*I figured we might as well take advantage of their genetic programming to fawn over Uzu and put it to use,* Naruto told her, as they rejoined the Pack.

Tenten was already up and running. "Okay, so we pair up and supervise each team. Hinata and Sasuke get the Raptor Team. Hana and Gaara get the Drive/Core Team. Me and Kakashi will handle the IDD Team. Sakura and Lee will handle the Weapons Teams. Karin will be our coordinator and liaison. And that leaves Naruto and Fu to fill them all with spunk!"

Naruto winced. "Can you keep it down? We're waiting until tomorrow to start doing that. We can fill each team as they finish their work so they won't be missed during the refit. Besides, you need my Psychic Strength to lift the Beam Lasers out of their mounts."

"Well, it's 1600, daylight's wasting. Karin, let the teams know what they're doing and let's get this party started!" the Chief Engineer said like she was buzzed on stims.

Karin walked over to the Oto engineers and began to call out clear instructions in Oto. Once the respective work teams realized their task, they went to work. A full fifth of them walked into the open Docking Bay and began to refit the weapons on the Raptor with the handy help of a Shika-bot to explain what went where. Another Shika-bot was posed over the center of the Invictus, marking where they needed to cut to insert the Inertial Dampening Device, a central core with a powerful anti-gravity generator that would negate any outside forces on the Invictus and allow them to use the full power of their engines. The other six (Shikamaru had used spare time on the Atomic Manufacturer to double his minion count) were finishing off interior upgrades and busy rerouting electronics and other pipes around where the IDD was set to go.

Work continued for the next six hours, the Oto engineers working in tandem with the crew to get their jobs done. The crew made no secret of their psychic powers, and seeing Hana and Gaara lift the Power Core with Telekinesis or Naruto use super-strength to toss the Beam Lasers into a waiting gravity net, amazed and astounded the Oto. The longer some spent in Naruto's presence, the more flirty and lusty they got. His winning smiles and polite conversation with them, learning their first names, didn't help. Some were ready to tear their clothes off and jump him when the alarm for the end of shift came. Some of the engineers actually looked like they wanted to work longer, but Genthalas had a strict schedule and they all left to report to mess and then bed.

Naruto and the crew had a late dinner, a long shower, and then piled into bed. Unwilling to be left out, Karin laid across all their feet. It wasn't the comfiest option, but it allowed all 11 of them to fit in the bed.

The next day, bright and early, they received a call from Anko. Groaning from the lack of sleep, Naruto ordered Shikamaru to show the call on the holo-projectors in their room. Anko appeared before the Pack, clad in a formal dress with many layers in the front. Her hair was white as snow and reached to her shoulders.

"How has progress been?" Anko asked. Her eyes raked over their naked forms in appreciation.

"We got a lot done last night. We might be able to finish it all up by tonight, tomorrow morning at the latest. And that leads me to something I really should have discussed with you yesterday," Naruto said, uncaring of his nude state.

"What is that?" Anko asked, curious.

"I know Oto society is in decline. Decreasing birth rates, high murder and execution rate. You're on the path to endangerment, if not outright extinction! Something has to be done," Naruto said passionately.

"And I suppose you have the solution?" Anko asked, not unkindly. She was really making an effort to be nice.

"As you know, my cum can change a person's DNA. If I enthrall an Oto woman, I can fix the genetic programming Orochimaru encoded in your genome. I can fix the birth ratio. The women whose hair I turn white will have 50/50 chances of having a son or daughter. And at the same time, they'll provide me energy to aid me in my battles, especially when I go up against other psychics or the other Uzu wreaking havoc in the Galactic League. It's a win-win. And as my Matriarch, you'll have an Empathic Bond with every Thrall," Naruto explained.

Anko tilted her head. "It makes logical sense, I'll give you that. And I suppose I'll have a way of getting closer to my people. How soon do you want to implement this plan?"

"Today, hopefully. I was thinking we'd start off with your bodyguards, and then I can enthrall the work teams as they finish their tasks," Naruto told his second Matriarch, and future consort.

Anko nodded. "Fair enough. Though I'm curious how you plan to get your seed down 20 throats in the space of one orgasm at a time," she said with a saucy smirk.

Naruto reached over to pat Fu. "The Taki are very versatile shapeshifters. Let's leave it at that."

Anko blinked, clearly trying to imagine it. "I'll be up at Docking Bay 1 within the hour. Just in time for the start of the morning shift. Seeing me ought to put some spring in their step," she said with a shark-like grin. Then she cut out the call.

"No offense, but your mother's terrifying," Hinata said sleepily.

"I've been telling you that since day one!" Kakashi reminded.

Naruto got up and went rummaging in his closet for work clothes. "Come on. Let's get a hot meal in our bellies before we go off to a day of work."

"You sound like a pappy on a rural farm," Sasuke said as an insult. The Uchiha definitely needed his beauty rest.

They had a meal of breakfast sandwiches made with love by their Alpha, and then they all filed out the Invictus onto the drydock. They were actually just in time to see the arrival of Anko's personal shuttle, an opulent affair and grandiose at nearly 200 meters long. Anko walked out to meet them. Any engineers or other staff on the drydock went silent when they saw her. Makaela herself came forward to greet her but Anko brushed her aside. She came right up to Naruto and pulled him down into a fierce kiss. There was an explosion of hushed noise, and Naruto just knew the Genthalas Shipyard grapevine would have this common knowledge by lunch.

"Come with me, and bring your Nymph. You can give me my second dose the same time you enthrall Luna, Ilyana, and Almari," Anko said in a no-nonsense tone before turning on her heel and walking back towards her shuttle.

Naruto signalled Fu with his mind, and she trotted over to his side and they followed after Anko. Makaela looked heartbroken when she looked at Naruto, and the Uzu worried whether Anko's kiss would have a detrimental effect on his plans to seduce the engineers. Anyway, he followed Anko through the innards of her shuttle to a crystal elevator, taking her up to the top floor and the state rooms.

"Isn't all that thick carpet a fire hazard?" Naruto asked, astonished to see plush in a spacecraft.

"We have very sophisticated fire retardant systems," Anko said absently, certain in her kind's technology.

Anko led them to what was clearly her private room, and found her three assassins/bodyguards waiting there. They all bowed when Anko entered, doing their odd salute as they did. Anko waved her hand. "At ease. This is going to be awkward enough, don't make me command you to do it."

"Matriarch?" Luna asked, her yellow eyes tracking everything in the room without appearing to.

"What if I told you I could reverse the sterilization I made you all take to become my servants? What if I told you I could give you back the chance for children? What would you do?" Anko asked them.

Longing expressions came over the other two, and even Luna looked a bit misty-eyed. "Anything it took, Matriarch. But it's impossible."

"Not for me," Naruto explained, stepping in at Anko's mental prompt. "My kind have the power to radically alter a person's body, down to the DNA. I could heal you three. It's just that the method for me to work my powers on you is… intimate."

"You are not Konoha?" Almari asked in a small voice.

"No, I'm not. I'm an Uzu. We're… more," Naruto said simply.

"What is this method?" Ilyani asked, her turquoise eyes bright.

"You need to drink my semen. It's weird, but that's the way it is," Naruto said bluntly.

Luna eyed Naruto, and then got on her knees. "I'll do it," she said without hesitation.

The other two dithered and then joined their compatriot in submission. They nodded.

"Wonderful. The four of us, supposedly, can be fed at once thanks to the assistance of this Taki girl," Anko said, getting on her own knees to her bodyguards' amazement.

Naruto dropped his pants, and the three shadow operatives gasped at seeing such a large example of manhood. Naruto took Fu, who'd already slipped out of her pants, and plunged without preamble into her ass. They'd learned that the unique nature of her body meant she didn't need lube or preparation for anal. Fu concentrated slightly and four cock tentacles grew out of her abdomen, growing out to enter four open mouths. Fu concentrated on funneling Naruto's pre to all four cock heads, and the familiar glassy eyed look overtook all the Oto women. Naruto enjoyed the ministrations of four deepthroats for a good five minutes before releasing into Fu, who funneled the seed down four hungry throats. The Astral Bonds for Luna, Ilyana, and Almari sprung to life, under the 'command' of Anko.

Naruto sighed. "That felt very… clinical. Like I was just performing a procedure. It's nothing like when I'm breaking in a new member of the crew."

"Of course not. You love us. You're just doing this as a favor to the Oto," Fu said, slipping back into her clothes after retracting the tentacles. She began to glow in circles centered on her belly, Fu being greedy and keeping a small portion of Naruto's cum for herself.

Naruto grinned and kissed her. "That's a good point. Though I imagine I'll enjoy the engineer teams' enthrallment. Twenty blowjobs at once!"

Fu purred in delight. "I can't wait to feed all the little kittens that worked on our ship."

The two of them retraced their steps through Anko's shuttle back out to the drydock, where the hundred Oto from last night had eagerly assembled and begun to work at the prompting of Naruto's crew. They one and all stopped what they were doing to look at Naruto when he called out and waved, and most of them smiled and waved back.

They worked the whole day, attaching the new Quantum weapons to the old turrets, boring and installing the IDD, refitting the Power Core and Tachyon Drive, and working to do the same on the Raptor. They all stopped for lunch, where Naruto and his crew were introduced to Aloysia bread, a kind of calzone the Oto preferred for lunch. Naruto got up to conversation with every engineer he met, winning them over, and when he noticed the Raptor team finishing up, he grabbed Fu and went over to them.

"Hey, ladies!" he called "I have something I want to give you all. A gift for your hard work. I believe Karin cleared one of the conference rooms for us!" In fact, she had cleared five, but that was neither here nor there.

The ladies all eagerly followed after Naruto and Fu, who led them to the empty conference room but for a long table and chairs. Naruto sat at the head of the table, Fu perched on the armrest, and turned to regard the 20 eager faces of the Oto engineers.

"I should start this by telling you I'm not Konoha. I'm an Uzu. And we have the power to change someone's DNA if they drink our seed. It sounds crazy, but it's true. As a thank you for working so hard, I'd like to offer you the chance to have children, and to have an equal chance of having a boy as a girl. If you drink from me, you'll be cured of the skewed birth ratio, and I have Anko's word that you'll get the chance to visit the border stations and secure fathers to your children and possibly even husbands. Interested?"

The engineers all gave their vocal approval. One of them, Ioelena, raised her hand. "But… how will you feed all of us? Don't men only come a few drops?"

Naruto chuckled. "Observe." With that, he pulled down his pants and let his dick swing free. There were gasps, even screams, but all of admiration. Fu had disrobed while they weren't paying attention, and she smoothly mounted Naruto. She concentrated quite hard and 20 tentacles grew out of her abdomen and extended towards the shocked mouths of the Oto work crew. "Just suck on the head and you'll fall asleep. When you wake up, you'll have white hair and you'll be cured," Naruto told them, tensing in anticipation of a riot of sensation.

In ones and twos, the Oto women eventually took the green cocks in their mouths, until all of them were mindlessly deepthroating on the tentacles on their tongues. Naruto was being sent straight to the moon from feeling 20 different tongues and throats on his cock. He soon erupted, and Fu split his massive load into 20 small portions she pumped directly down each Oto woman's throat. Over a dozen Astral Bonds sprung to life under Anko in his mental compartments, and Naruto realized he'd have to block out most of this side of his Thralls if he ever wanted peace of mind.

Naruto got cleaned up with Fu and walked back to the Invictus, only to find there was another work team done, the Drive/Core Team.

Naruto and Fu repeated the routine another four times, until all 100 Oto women were knocked out in the first 14 hours and bound to have white hair in the morning. Naruto was seriously dehydrated, even with Psychic Healing. Hinata came to him with a big canteen and he eagerly chugged the entire contents.

"Five loads in a row, no breaks for water. You must be dying right now," Sasuke mused.

"Feels like it," Naruto said, tipping the canteen upside-down to get the last drops of water. "And I still have Anko's third dose to do before we can leave. We can leave, right?"

"Tenten already turned on the Power Core and it didn't explode. Everything seems a-ok," Hana said cheerfully. "With our new Uzu Tachyon Drive, we'll reach Olympus in half the time! 3 days instead of 6!"

Naruto nodded. "That's great, honey. We'll expose Mitokado and maybe he'll turn and expose Utatane while he's being dragged down."

"Don't we need to do a fire test before we really get going? I worked so hard on upgrading the original Uzu Quantum weaponry," Tenten pouted. "Plus, we need to give the Uzu Engines a field test. Fu can finally take full advantage of the Pilot Station!"

Naruto chuckled. "Okay. Anko, fire test, Olympus, in that order. We clear?"

"Clear," his assembled crew said in unison.


	53. Chapter 53

Naruto contacted Anko via their Astral Bond. *You ready for me, gorgeous?*

*I'm waiting in my chambers. I moved Luna, Ilyana, and Almari to a guest room. And you should have asked me first, but I'll happily arrange for all those engineers to go to the border stations,* Anko told him, her telepathic voice as clear and strident as her physical one.

*Sorry, I thought it was implied when I said I'd fix the birth ratio that they'd need to have children. I should have been more clear and asked your permission first. Sorry,* Naruto sent sincerely.

*I could get quite used to having such an obedient man for my King,* Anko purred seductively in his mind.

Feeling some lead in his pencil despite the number of loads he'd blown today, Naruto walked extra-fast to Anko's shuttle. The airlock opened for him and Naruto followed the same path he had taken that morning. He stepped into Anko's chambers and was amazed to find her naked and waiting for him.

Anko gave a little twirl. "Is my King pleased with his Queen's body?" she asked throatily.

Naruto dropped his pants in answer, letting his cock spring free.

Anko licked her lips. "You know, I'm actually looking forward to this. Are you using your insidious cum to affect me past my mind-shield?"

"Think of it as I'm 'enhancing' your personality. A healthy sex drive is vital to enjoying life," Naruto said, genuiniely believing what he said. He pulled off his shirt and shoes so he was naked too. "So, want to make-out for a while?"

Anko pursed her lips. "I know you're in a hurry. You must go back to Konoha space to route out this traitor. I would like at least one kiss before we conclude our business here, though."

Naruto leaned in and gave his best kiss to Anko, enjoying the feel of her curvy azure body mashing up against his front. With the psychic feedback of the Astral Bond, it was probably the best kiss of Anko's life. She pulled back, her golden eyes wide.

"I did not factor in this facet of the Astral Bond. Had I known, I might have needed much less convincing to accept your deal," she said in pleasure.

Naruto grinned and then took her hand and led her over to the bed. They both sat down on it, Naruto splaying his legs wide to give her room in between them.

She looked down at his monster and said "Well, here we go. My first blowjob I can remember." She smiled up at him and then took the plunge.

One thing you had to give Anko, despite all her faults, she was fearless. She went straight to deepthroating on the first go, not stopping in her descent until her nose was brushing up against Naruto's abs. Naruto moaned appreciatively and let Anko set her own pace. She proved to be a natural, moving smoothly and calmly, taking time to lather her tongue around the head or reach out to fondle his quad. It was hardly an amateur blowjob, and Naruto might have thought she was lying if he hadn't sensed the truth from her mind. He blew within five minutes, his usual time when he was in a hurry. Anko pulled back to taste his cum as it pulsed over her tongue and she got a look of utter euphoria on her face.

"This… this is delicious," she said after swallowing the last bit.

"Of course it is. It's written in your genome to be addicted to it," Naruto said, somewhat jokingly.

Anko looked up at him. "Orochimaru did terrible things to the Oto. With your help, we can fix those problems and bring in a bright new era for the Oto Regency." Anko paused before smiling. "Forgive me. Oto Kingdom."

Naruto gave her another kiss, rubbing a hand over her gravid belly wistfully. He barely knew her, but he couldn't help getting turned on at the thought of his baby kicking lustily in her belly. "We're not King and Queen yet. You need to conquer the other Houses first. Though please promise me you'll at least attempt peaceful negotiation?"

Anko sighed. "Since the whole point of this enterprise is to save the species, I'll try to win them over first. Maybe my hair will help. And I'll put an end to the public floggings and make murder a capital crime on House Guren's worlds. We've been harming ourselves for too long. The time has come to heal, you've helped me see that."

Naruto grinned and gave her another kiss. Then he reluctantly got up off the bed and put on his clothes. "Well, time to be off. I promise that when we return, it'll be for much longer than a few days."

Anko nodded peacefully and waved him goodbye as he walked out the door. Naruto walked through the luxurious shuttle and out into the drydock, making his way over to the Invictus. Ino or Shikamaru opened the airlock door for him, and he nodded his thanks at the camera. Naruto went up the anti-grav tube to the Bridge to find the whole crew waiting for him.

"So, fire test? See how our new fleet destroyer weapons do against helpless asteroids?" Naruto said, plopping down on the Command Chair. "By the way, did we receive and give the schematics we both said we would? We get the Oto Lasers and they get the Uzu everything?"

Hana nodded. "Hinata found a nice asteroid field in the Beta Aquarii system for us. I'm ready to do some serious damage with these Quantum weapons!"

Tenten cackled. "I was right! My Uzu 0.5 tech was better than all Oto equivalents! The Nova Lances were interesting, but I'd already come up with a better version when you asked me to reverse engineer one from theory. And yes, I've uploaded everything to Anko's shuttle. She can decide who she shares it with. In a couple months, the House Guren Fleet is going to be nearly unbeatable!"

*You hear that? The Uzu schematics are on your shuttle's computer,* Naruto thought to his other Matriarch.

*I'll transfer them to Genthalas in the morning. We start work tomorrow,* Anko thought back. *Also, what are your plans after you expose and hunt down this traitor?*

*We were planning to go to the Unclaimed Wastes to look for Tayuya, if she's still alive. Barring that, we can clean out the old place,* Naruto explained.

*Tayuya is alive. When she was banished, I had her injected with a tracker with a built-in bio-reader. I needed a test subject in case there was an experimental surgery for my tumor. I can transfer the code to your ship before you leave Oto space,* Anko supplied helpfully.

Naruto perked up. "Karin! According to the bio-reader your mother snuck into Tayuya, your sister's alive!"

Karin's face lit up like the sun. "Then we can save her and I can try to make amends!" she cheered happily.

Hinata nodded along. "Yes, yes, that's wonderful. Now can we do this fire test and then be on our way? I'm starving."

Naruto nodded at his main love and turned to Fu. "Take us out of here," he ordered.

The Nymph grinned at him eagerly, and she lifted the Invictus off the deck with the use of retro-thrusters controlled by a hat-control on the flightstick. As soon as they had risen ten metres off the deck, she eased back on the throttle, smoothly reversing them out of the Genthalas drydock. She pulled back on the stick once they had successfully drifted out of the vast docking bay, and once she had an unobstructed path away from the shipyard, Fu powered up the engines.

Naruto had expected her to crank the engines up to maximum immediately, but Fu was very controlled, staying well under port speed. Once they cleared the booms and gantries that filled the inner circle of the shipyard, she looked up to him as though seeking permission.

"Let's see what she can do," Naruto said, leaning forward with an eager gleam in his eye.

Fu glanced at Tenten, who nodded confidently saying, "You can bring her up to full speed cautiously if you like, but it's not necessary. I've performed a full diagnostic on the engines, and the Inertial Dampening Device. We're perfectly safe."

Hinata brought up the local System Map, which showed the vast ring of Genthalas Shipyard, with the Invictus displayed as a tiny, gleaming white ship in the center.

"Full speed ahead, Commodore," Fu said with a grin, as she brought her left hand forward in a sweeping motion, ramping up the engines to max.

Naruto felt the vaguest sense of motion as the Invictus roared away, the four massive Uzu engines finally put through their paces for the first time.

"Holy fuck! Look at us go!" Sasuke swore vehemently, as the Assault Cruiser raced away from the space station.

Fu nodded eagerly, and said, "Our acceleration is incredible!"

Naruto darted a glance at Tenten, and asked, "What's the performance like? As you were expecting?"

Tenten pressed a couple of buttons on her console, showing the engines highlighted in a floating hologram above the Engineering Station. Alongside the holographic display, stats for the ship's flight characteristics were displayed, showing long lists of data.

"We're even better than I expected! We're at over 6x our original speed and 9x the acceleration!" Tenten declared with triumph.

Hana turned in her chair and gasped, "Naruto, only Fighters have this kind of tactical speed! Nothing in the Cruiser class can even hope to catch us!"

Naruto had a wicked grin on his face as he asked Fu, "What's the turn rate like?"

She eased off on the throttle, then yanked back on the stick, pulling the nose up in an incredibly sharp turn. The dozens of Uzu retrothrusters that dotted the hull flared brightly as the Invictus swung about in a tight loop. She then proceeded to roll the Assault Cruiser, flinging it about it a series of wild, erratic maneuvers.

"It feels like I'm flying the Raptor!" Fu blurted out, sounding overjoyed. She shook her head in amazement as she said to Tenten, "I can't believe how much you increased the performance! The ship feels so responsive now, it's incredible!"

"Okay, weapon test time!" Hinata called out. Turning back to the Sector Map, Hinata highlighted Beta Aquarii, and quickly plotted a course. Fu had swung the Invictus around, and they charged over to the Nav Beacon, to get clear of any nearby gravity wells. Hinata powered up the Tachyon Drive, and the ship was shrouded in a swathe of light blue particles, before leaping into hyperwarp.

Hinata's eyes widened. "One minute! We're twice as fast as we used to be!"

"By 107% to be exact," Shikamaru said cheekily.

She brought up the destination system, and plotted a route from their projected entry point to the thick band of asteroids she had randomly selected for their assault. They dropped out of hyperwarp exactly as she had projected, and Fu cranked the engines up to full, as she followed Hinata's guide path.

Hana's hands were trembling with excitement as she reached for the weapon controls, and she forced herself to take a steadying breath to calm herself down. She grasped each stick in her hands, then flipped the switches to expose the ship's batteries, the armour plating on the hull pulling back to reveal their deadly new arsenal. The weapon loadout began to light up, as weapon after weapon came online, filling the full display with detailed weapon statistics. The hologram representing the ship appeared in front of her, with all the fire arcs for their weapons faithfully reproduced, and clearly indicated in the targeting sphere.

"Replacing our Gatling Lasers are Quantum Blasters," Tenten said, launching into a lecture on their Uzu weapons. "Fires three shots in one burst, can take out anything smaller than a Cruiser with one hit, shield included. After that are the Quantum Cannons: 24 of them, and each stronger than our Uzu 0.5 Beam Lasers. And finally we have the Quantum Lances. These babies use up every bit of juice we can spare and they have a five-second charging time. But they'll punch right through a Dreadnought or Battlecarrier, I guarantee it." Tenten shrugged. "I didn't have the time to upgrade the Mass Drivers. Besides, it would take an awful lot of Unobtanium to make all the shells for it. The rest are basically super-duper lasers with Unobtanium particles laced with them."

Hana grinned and aimed her new weapons, tracing the firing arcs with her eyes. The passive sensors had pulsed out, populating the System Map with detailed information about the asteroids. Near the midpoint of the asteroid field was some kind of derelict mining facility, and according to the Oto records, it had been abandoned for decades.

"Tear ass through the asteroid belt, then wipe that mining facility off the map with the Lances?" Hana said eagerly.

Naruto chuckled. "You heard her, Fu. Take us in."

The Lieutenant started looking at each of her potential targets, and the optical targeting kicked in, tagging each of the asteroids in her targeting globe. Most of these asteroids hung lifelessly in space, any kind of momentum arrested centuries ago when the belt was intensively mined for minerals. She pressed a button on her console, and the Tactical Map replaced the local System Map in the center of the Bridge, giving the rest of the crew a clear view of what she was tracking in her targeting globe. As they drew closer, they could see that all the larger hunks of rock were scored and marked by evidence of mining, the Oto having efficiently stripped the field of usable resources.

The crew were expecting Hana to unleash a devastating initial volley, but instead she forced herself to show restraint, and when they were in range, she fired only a single Quantum Blaster. The blazingly bright bursts of purple energy lashed out at the massive chunk of rock she had selected, pulverizing it into dust by the second hit, leaving the third to trail off into space.

"And that's our weakest weapon," Hana mused in a professional tone, although her eyes gleamed with excitement. "Alright. Here we go."

The Invictus became swathed in an array of purple light as Hana put the new Quantum weapons through their paces. She often punched through whatever asteroid she was targeting to hit the one behind it at well. The lifeless chunks of rock were all but atomized as the white Assault Cruiser moved. Thirty seconds later, they were in range of the mining facility.

"Charging Quantum Lances," Hana announced, pulling the trigger for the deadliest of their new weaponry.

The two massive barrels that had replaced the six Beam Lasers began to glow at the end with purple luminescence. After a brief five seconds, they unleashed their destructive fury, sending out purple beams at least three times the size of their old Beam Lasers. The facility was unshielded, so the enormous columns of energy were able to blast straight through the huge station, melting a hundred-meter-wide hole through the structure. The lances of blazingly bright Quantum fire throbbed for several seconds, spearing straight through the base, and blasting out the other side. They finally winked out in an instant, leaving a trail of purple particles that slowly faded and dimmed in its wake.

Naruto blinked a few times, his eyes struggling to adjust to the incredible searing intensity of the Quantum Lances' beams. There was a deathly silence on the Bridge as they all stared at the utter devastation wrought on the derelict facility. The converging shafts of incandescent light had cut through the armor plating and superstructure of the base like a hot knife through butter.

"Just like the Warning," Karin noted with approval.

Naruto surveyed all the destruction his ship had wrought. "We have more power than a Battleship. Maybe even a Dreadnought," he noted solemnly. He shook his head and turned back to Fu. "Take us out of here, Fu. We need to get to Olympus."

Wolves of Uzu

The room was dark, lit only by the glow from the monitors arrayed around his throne. The largest one had swung into position before him, and the heavy set face of his agent scowled at him in annoyance.

"I'm telling you, he knew your name! He knows you're after him! He saw right through my little ploy," Milligan Degory explained for the hundredth time to Pein.

The assassin lord felt his finger begin to twitch in its tic and he didn't have the energy to stop it. "It appears Koeman Peter betrayed me more than I anticipated. I should have made his death even more painful," Pein mused. He turned to Milligan Degory, his face twisting in disgust he didn't bother to hide. "Did he say anything? Give me a message?"

Degory chuckled nervously. "Sort of. He told me that if I ratted you out, he'd take you out before you could take me out. The kid's got balls, you have to admit."

Letting out a roar of anger, the assassin surged forward and slammed his fist into the centre of the view-screen, right in the middle of Milligan Degory's fat face. There was a resounding clang, and the mighty impact ripped the screen straight out of the supporting frame, sending it flying across the room to crash into the wall opposite in a shower of sparks.

His chest rose and fell rapidly as he tried to control his rage, before he eventually managed to subdue his temper. He slowly sank back onto his throne, placing his hands on the armrests. His left index finger began to tap away again, but when he darted a glance at it this time, he couldn't gather the focus necessary to stop the furious tapping.

He had one last option left, and it was going to be very difficult to arrange, located as the site was, deep in the heart of the Konoha Federation. It looked like he had no choice though. Already his reputation was in tatters, with other operatives insinuating that he'd lost his edge. He knew he'd have to get involved personally now, and that was something he hadn't had to do for decades. Still, the anger felt good after all this time, the surge of adrenalin making him feel alive for the first time in more years than he could remember.

Uzumaki Naruto would die, and Pein planned to choke the life out of him with his own two hands.

Wolves of Uzu

It would take them three days to get from Beta Aquarri to Olympus Shipyard, half the time it would have taken at their Uzu 0.5 speed. Luckily, the Invictus was now an Uzu grade vessel. Its Shield Generator was still sub-par, but the armor was tough as diamond. If they had to, they could probably take out a quadrant fleet with their weaponry, speed, and superior crew.

Naruto led everyone to the Kitchen, everyone chatting about the firing test they'd just witnessed. Naruto was tired and lazy, so he just made chicken and broccoli for dinner. Everyone ate it up eagerly anyway.

"You cook better than my mother's private chef. The old Anko would have her flayed and then hold us hostage to make you cook for her," Karin said as a joke. Most didn't find it funny.

"Thankfully, she seems to have turned over a new leaf since I agreed to make her Queen of the Oto. Plus my cum is already working on curing her mental trauma and making her a more positive person," Naruto responded.

*It'll be many blowjobs before I'm as sunny and upbeat as your crew. But you've shown me that you truly catch more flies with honey than with vinegar,* Anko thought to him.

Naruto gave her a mental kiss and finished off his plate. "Okay, shower and bed. I'm wiped. Is Karin sleeping across our feet again?"

"She won't have to. Us Karron girls have a surprise for everyone!" Tenten said with a smile, taking her plate to the Kitchen to wash it before bouncing over to the door. "Come on, hurry up!"

They all finished their meals and washed the dishes, and joined Hinata and Tenten as they led them to the Commodore's Quarters. When they walked in, the crew blinked.

"How do they even make a bed that big?" Naruto asked, astounded. It was maybe a bit longer than their old bed, but three times as wide. The bedding was pure white, and diaphanous gossamer hung from the four posters, giving the bed an airy quality. The bedframe was the familiar glinting white of Invictium.

"Well, we had a bunch of spare Invictium lying around. And the Atomic Manufacturer had to be doing 'something' during the refit. I made the mattress and bedding, Hinata made the bedframe. I call it "Master of the Galaxy" size," Tenten said cheerfully.

Naruto eyed Hinata. "Did you use the old armor plating or fresh ore? Because if you can trideca-shape Invictium all on your own, I need to hit the psychic gym!"

Hinata chuckled. "I'm good, but I'm not that good. It's just hexa-shaped from the leftovers we had. We really need to find a use for all those old armor plates."

"They were in the Wolves of the Federation's ship. Maybe you could sell them to your fanbase," Kakashi suggested in his role as Financial Officer.

Naruto yawned. "I'm eager to test out that bed. Let's hop in the shower and give it a whirl."

They soaped and rinsed their bodies, too exhausted to make it sexy. They dried off with the heated towels, and then piled into the new bed. It was soft as a cloud and perfectly supportive, same for the pillows. The Pack all relaxed, able to enjoy being together without being squished like sardines in a can.

"Night, Shikamaru, Ino," Naruto said after warding them all against the Astral Plane so the Astral Entity couldn't eat their souls in their sleep.

"Night," the two AI said to their Commodore, sleeplessy continuing their self-assigned tasks through the night, one of each of them fucking the other non-stop.

Shikamaru had recently taken an interest in music, and he played a lilting tune to gently wake them up. Sasuke blinked. "Vivaldi's 'Spring'? That's almost a thousand years old."

"I found it, I liked it. The Holonet is the galaxy's biggest free library. Every book, piece of art or music, and video in history can be found, if you know where to look. Most of it's even legal!" Shikamaru explained

Naruto yawned and rubbed his eyes. "Any attempts to interdict us like last time, Ino?"

"I didn't see any threatening configurations or picket lines. But then, maybe we moved too fast for them to set them up. We're already a quarter of the way out of Oto space," the sylph answered.

Anko knocked on his mental door. *Just to clarify, our plan to save the Oto cannot involve mind-rape, yes?*

*I'd be extremely opposed to it. Why?*

*I came up with a rather brilliant plan to leak information of the refit to one of my rivals, have her gather an alliance of my enemies, turn their assassins they send for me, and then murder them and kidnap their youngest daughters for indoctrination. I'd get command of most Noble Houses in one fell swoop!*

Naruto was troubled. *Is this the plan with the least possible casualties? Couldn't you just refit your fleet, do an arms demonstration, and terrify them into surrendering to you?*

*They might decide to go down in a blaze of glory rather than submit to me. But true, once I have the Minor Houses and at least one other Noble House, I'll control half the ships in Oto Space. I suppose we can go with your option and just wait for the holdouts to die of old age from joining the new Oto Kingdom. Glad we had this talk, Naruto,* Anko thought to him.

Naruto nodded and shifted his attention back to his surroundings. The crew seemed to be having an elaborate tournament of Rock-Paper-Scissors to see who got his morning load. Naruto chuckled. "Hinata joked about this a while back, but maybe we should just set up a rota for when we aren't breaking in a new crew member. Save all this hassle."

"In order we joined! That means I go first!" Hinata cheered.

"That seems fair," Fu sighed dejectedly.

"It's how we do everything else," Gaara agreed.

The others left to get showered and dressed while Hinata lovingly went down on her Alpha. Having been with him longest, she knew just how he liked it. Within a few minutes Naruto was rounding out her belly with his jizz.

Naruto got dressed, helping a gravid Hinata do the same, and then strolled to the Kitchen. He was in a baking mood so he made bagels, and to cheer up Fu he also made lox to put on them. The Pack ate their smoked fish and bread, before going about their day.

Hana had lined up over a dozen sets of orders she was certain were the work of Mitokado the traitor. Karin was set to hack into the secure Konoha Federation military servers on Mars to get the data. Once she removed the redaction and got the original copies, they'd have concrete proof that Mitokado had set up thousands of men and dozens of ships to die. They were also going to go for Mitokado's emails to see if he'd built a network of allies. Karin was curious to try out her new Psychic Hacking, but trusted in Shikamaru's help enough to pull it off. Interesting as it would be, she was a bit wary of putting her soul inside a circuit board.

Her work on the Bridge done, Hana went down to the Gym for a spar with Lee. They'd developed a bit of a routine with the man. He'd work martial arts and swordsmanship on alternating days, with practice in the Firing Range for an hour or two in the afternoons. The man proved to be as lethally effective with his hands and feet as with a sword.

Meanwhile, Naruto spared with Sasuke with practice swords. Hinata, Gaara, and Fu were all practicing their Psychic Powers in the Cargo Bay, now much more empty after the refit. Tenten continued to do research on new ways to improve the crew's or ship's effectiveness with Shikamaru as a handy assistant. Sakura studied every DNA strand they had gotten their hands on, looking for new insights or revelations. Kakashi was glued to the Holo-reader, managing the crew's assets and expanding on the minor trade empire Kakashi had been forming under the name of 'Alpha Enterprises'. They only had a few traders working for them at the moment, but Kakashi had patience and high hopes. He noted with amusement that Umino Iruka had signed on. He'd be sure to tell Naruto how he still had control of the Fool's Gold, in a way.

Naruto made a lasagne for lunch, which everyone happily chewed except for Sasuke, who had 'lost' the spar and suffered the consequences. Then Naruto and most of the crew relaxed in the Lounge with drinks, whiling away the hours with conversation and flirty comments. Naruto made a pot roast for dinner, and then ended the night by making love to Hana while the others had their own fun around them.

The next morning, Hinata rose an idea over breakfast, Tenten the exception given her rounded stomach. "I was thinking we should reshape the Uzu Armor. Naruto IS the most important member of the crew. Plus, his armor needs a little flair. He's the Alpha Wolf, he should look the part.

The crew all reviewed her design idea in their minds. The really major difference was the resplendent golden pauldrons shaped into the visage of a regal wolf. The head of the proud looking beast topped each shoulder, staring out with wise eyes that seemed to hold a hidden strength. The craftsmanship of each pauldron was exquisite, and the representation of the stylised wolf was breathtaking to behold. The breastplate was embossed with a similar image, while the boots, helmet, and gauntlets were etched with golden scrollwork, gleaming brightly against the glistening white Unobtanium plating.

Naruto blushed around his bite of French Toast. "A little ostentatious, don't you think?"

"Nonsense. It's armor fit for a king!" Hinata argued.

*Which you will be once I'm done with the Oto,* Anko said into his mind.

And so they all went on a tour of the armor equipping frames, working collectively to quad-shape the Unobtanium of Naruto's Uzu Armors, adding golden scrollwork from a supply that Tenten had kept for repairing the electronics. The effect was even more striking in real life. No one who looked at Naruto and knew the tale of the Wolves of the Federation and their Alpha would doubt his identity.

"You'll look just like a knight from the fairy tales I read as a child growing up," Hana sighed wistfully.

They all returned to their usual tasks. Karin and Shikamaru returned to planning their digital heist, set to execute that afternoon once they were back in range of Konoha comm relays. The others repeated their work from yesterday, Fu getting a special lunch and Gaara set to get an early dinner about six hours later. Finally, it was time, and the Pack all came to the Bridge to cheer on Karin and Shikamaru as they pulled off their cyber-strike.

Karin cracked her knuckles and turned to nod to Shikamaru's hologram. "Let's do this!" she said excitedly, before beginning to hack up a storm. She kept up a running commentary for the crew so they knew what she was doing. "First we're bouncing our signal through a series of untraceable nodes, so they won't be able to track us if we get caught… Now I'm going through the data streams towards Mars… Intercepting incoming mail, and putting a tracker on one headed for the Dragon March server… Not a bad digital fortress for Konoha, sending out search programs… Backdoor, Konoha programmers never learn. Slipping past guard programs to launch a password cracker… We're in!" she cheered after several minutes of typing.

"Now it's my turn," Shikamaru said, cracking his knuckles. "With nine of me working, I should have all the data within ten minutes. Now shut up and let me concentrate." With that, the Shikamaru that had stayed on the Invictus went into a meditative pose, his fingers and thumbs coming together to form an oval.

The crew waited anxiously. Eleven minutes passed, when Shikamaru suddenly shot up standing. "Whoa, that was close. Nearly got detected by one of the guard programs, need to work on my situational awareness when I'm reading. Anyway, Admiral Mitokado Homura is definitely the Dragon March traitor. He's responsible for 13 of the 17 actions you highlighted, Hana. And his emails to his allies are mildly encoded. If you read between the lines, then he's converted almost a third of the Dragon March forces to side with him and the Kumo to tear the old K-Fed down and build a shiny new one. And there's more: they're investigating us," Shikamaru said in a big rush.

Naruto felt his hackles raise. "What do you mean?"

"I mean 'Special Investigation: Uzumaki Naruto'," Shikamaru said, bringing up the files he'd copied from the Mars server. "It started after the Nuke incident. They've got profiles of every known crew member, interviews with people you rescued, assessments of the Invictus, your whole military file with special interest in your triple-helix DNA. With every exploit, the interest got hotter. They're not afraid of you, per se, but they're preparing for the day you become a threat."

Sasuke sighed. "That day will never come because we attack them. It will come when they attack us," he said bleakly.

"Well, if we do get exiled from the K-Fed we have a cushy life back on Guren to look forward to," Naruto said cheerfully, trying to raise the mood.

Gaara was about to speak when he saw a light flash on his console. "We have a priority call from Shino," he said.

"Put him on," Naruto said, watching Shikamaru and Ino vanish for the duration of the call along with the data Shikamaru had stolen.

"Oh, thank God!" Shino gasped with relief. "Naruto, they've really fucked up this time!"

"What is it Shino?" Naruto asked, leaning forward, alarmed to see his old friend looking on the verge of panic.

"Those crazy bastards didn't listen to my warnings!" he rambled, his eyes wild.

"You aren't making sense!" Naruto exclaimed. "What warnings? Who?"

"The R&D division! I tried to get it stopped..." Shino blurted out fearfully, "It's the Ganymede incident all over again!"

Naruto said urgently, "Get a hold of yourself Shino. What's happened exactly? I need hard facts!"

Shino took a long shuddering breath as he tried to calm himself, then said, "Vice Admiral Ebisu and the R&D division. They lost control of their facility three weeks ago! They sent out an emergency distress call, but the signal was shut down almost immediately afterwards."

"You need to stamp this out right now," Naruto said in alarm. "God knows how big a fleet they'll have amassed in three weeks!"

"You don't have to tell me that!" Shino snapped angrily. "I only found out about this a week ago! The fools tried to cover it up until the attacks started."

Naruto leaned forward, and said, "What attacks? What ships were involved?"

"Rogue AI ships are attacking everything around the Beta Persei system! They're using automated ships just like the one that attacked you. They've been killing everything in their path!" Shino said frantically.

"Send everything you've got, and crush this now, before they get too powerful to put down!" Naruto barked furiously.

"I did!" Shino exclaimed, sounding on the edge of despair. "But we've stripped our forces bare in the Konoha sector; everything's been diverted for the big push in the Dragon March! I sent out every ship I had as soon as I found out, and the group still won't make it there for another day!"

*Hinata, how far from right here to the Beta Persei system?* Naruto asked.

*A little less than 24 hours,* she replied immediately.

"Relax, Shino. We just upgraded the Invictus again. We're close enough to meet up with your fleet. We'll provide support just like we did with the Kumo, alright? We'll stomp this rogue AI into the ground!" Naruto said with a rallying tone.

Shino took a deep breath. "You mean you're even better than the weapons you sold us? If that's true, your little Assault Cruiser must be tough as a Battleship!"

"Or even tougher," Naruto said with a secretive grin. "Now, what's this big push into the Dragon March? And what's the configuration of the battlegroup you sent out?"

Shino looked down and muttered "It's supposed to be top-secret, but that doesn't exactly matter if a robot uprising wipes out the Konoha sector..." He sighed and said, "We've amassed a huge force in the Dragon March, and Admiral Mitokado is leading a massive counter-offensive against the Kumo. Forces have been siphoned off from all over the Konoha Federation to support the invasion."

Hana gasped, but Naruto gave her a sharp look. "And the fleet?" Naruto asked.

"They're a cobbled together fleet of ships that had just completed repairs, attached to the reserve forces around Olympus. Eight Cruisers, two Light Carriers, two dozen Destroyers, and led by a Battleship under the command of Commodore Jansen Neal. They encountered a couple of solitary raiding ships as they approached Beta Persei, which they took care of without taking any casualties. I haven't heard from them since their last report," Shino relayed.

Naruto nodded. "We'll show up and do what we can. Hope you don't mind if the Wolves of the Federation steal all the glory," Naruto attempted to joke.

Shino pierced Naruto, dropping his sunglasses so the Commodore could see his eyes. "Do whatever you can, Naruto." With that, he ended the call.

Naruto sighed and rubbed his temples. "Nexus. It had to be Nexus."

"Beta Persei is filled with metallic asteroids. This AI project has been active at least for a few months. Nexus could have dozens of ships at his command," Hana said worriedly.

Naruto turned to Karin. "Karin, Shikamaru, Ino, I want you all working on shoring up the Invictus' cybersecurity. If we're going up against another AI, even a Konoha one, I want us hermetically sealed. Understand me?"

"Ye cannot improve upon perfection, but we'll see what we can do," Shikamaru said, his face troubled. "If they'd made Nexus properly, would it still be trying to kill everything that moved?"

"We may never know," Tenten said sadly. "Right now, it's like a rabid animal. The only solution is to put it down."

Hana's thoughts were very troubled. "You're thinking about your family, aren't you?" Kakashi asked her.

Hana nodded. "My mother and Akamaru are stationed in the Dragon March. This big push is almost certainly the coup de grace for the conflict. It's bound to go terribly wrong, and either of their ships could be lost."

"We'll get right on rescuing them as soon as we're done with the Nexus fleet," Naruto assured her.

With a quiet chime, they crossed the border into Konoha Federation territory. Racing towards their next adventure.


	54. Chapter 54

The next 24 hours were tough on the crew. They had no idea how big the Nexus fleet would be. Sure, assuming no upgrades, they would all be the same Cruiser class vessel they had faced on their way to Oceanus. But the numbers, that's where the uncertainty lied. Were they going up against a fleet of 10 or 100? And would they arrive before or after Shino's ragtag battlegroup confronted the AI ships?

They did their best to exhaust themselves for the afternoon after Shino's call, so that they would easily fall asleep. In the morning, they all agreed to spend the day on the Bridge, in case the Nexus fleet had moved out of the Beta Persei system towards them or, heaven forbid, a planet.

Around 1300, after a lunch of sandwiches prepared by the Shika-bots, Ino spoke up. "Wreck sites on the long-range scanners!"

Hana instantly sat up, her trained eyes going over the husks and debris of destroyed ships. "Damn it. That's all civilian carnage. Freighters, Fuel-haulers… passenger liners."

Naruto closed his eyes as he thought of all those innocent lives lost. "What's the death toll?"

"If it's the same in a full circle around Beta Persei, then roughly 10,000," Sasuke said grimly, cursing R&D in his mind, and Mitokado or Utatane or whoever ordered the AI fleet in the first place.

"How could the K-Fed keep this quiet? Surely someone would notice all those people missing!" Tenten demanded.

"Keep in mind we're dealing with a total population in the hundreds of billions. Some egghead probably did a cost-benefit analysis and concluded they'd lose more lives in the riots and panicking from revealing the truth. So they suppress the information, which is easy when the government controls the only major news agency," Naruto explained gravely.

"No need for a small problem to develop into a bigger problem," Gaara agreed, his political training showing.

"What happens when Nexus attacks a planet though, not just passing traffic? How will they keep it under wraps then?" Sakura pointed out.

Karin shrugged. "Then shit hits the fan. Let's hope we arrive in time to stop that."

Lee kept his silence, merely meditating to prepare for the moment if/when they had to armor up.

Kakashi kept his eyes on the long-range scanners. "We're getting civilian traffic! They're either blind, dumb, or fearless. They must be picking up at least some of the wrecks on their sensors."

Naruto shrugged. "When your next meal depends on making a trade deadline, you'll risk an awful lot," he said, speaking from experience.

Hinata grabbed his hand from her XO Chair beside him and gave it a squeeze before taking it back.

The next hour passed slowly, their eyes all looking at the Sector Map, watching the civilian traffic through the graveyard of Nexus' victims. They finally got to a point where their long-range scanners picked up Beta Persei.

As they carefully checked the map, four contacts appeared, all in close protective orbit of the research facility.

Naruto sat back in his chair, and said in surprise, "Only four? I was expecting a lot worse than that."

Hana shook her head. "No way that's their total. If anything, that looks like a defensive fleet of picket ships. The main fleet must have caught wind of Shino's battlegroup and moved to engage."

As if on cue, Ino spoke up. "Major battle at the edge of our sensors!" She highlighted and zoomed in on the chaos at the far edge of their sensors, several systems away from Beta Persei.

Hana and Sasuke instantly went to work, switching to Telepathy to save time. *Fuck! At least 40 enemy Cruisers up against Shino's battlegroup. They're getting hammered!* Hana thought in worry.

*Two options: attack the fleet, reveal our deadliness to the K-Fed, but save the battlegroup. Or attack the defense fleet and assault the base, hoping that draws them back to face us one on many. Your choice, Naruto,* Sasuke informed his Commodore.

On the one hand, revealing Quantum weapons would get the K-Fed riding his ass to turn them over. On the other hand, going up against the fleet solo was a bit too risky for Naruto's taste. Plus, at heart, he was still mostly loyal to the Konoha Federation and specifically the men and women who served.

"Divert course, take us into the battle. We'll wipe out the Nexus fleet then come back for the base," Naruto ordered resolutely.

"Yes, Commodore," Hinata replied, immediately altering their heading to take them towards the system where the AI/Konoha conflict was taking place.

With their Uzu Tachyon Drive, they made it there in five minutes. All the crew tensed, readying themselves to respond to anything. "I want you to open up with the Quantum Lances. Take out as many as you can in one burst," Naruto instructed Hana, who nodded and began to coordinate with Fu on the best angle given the data they were getting from the sensors.

They lurched out of hyperwarp as they entered the gravity well around the lonely red dwarf with just an asteroid belt to accompany it. The darkness of space was filled with the familiar orange beams of the Konoha Federation, only now they were being turned on their creators. A total of 46 Nexus Cruisers were going against the 8 Cruisers, 2 Light Carriers, 24 Destroyers, and the Battleship 'Heimdall' that made up Shino's battlegroup. And it was a bloodbath for the massively outnumbered K-Fed force.

Naruto had a brainwave. He focused, and he shimmered into a convincing illusion of Orochimaru. "Gaara, hail the Nexus ships," he barked in a voice not his own.

Blinking, Gaara highlighted the AI vessels and sent out a blanket broadcast. He gave a thumbs-up when one accepted.

"Nexus, this is your master. Cease and desist all actions at once!" 'Orochimaru' called out.

There was a moment of startling motionlessness in the conflict. Each Nexus ship indeed paused what they were doing, hanging motionless or drifting. A featureless purple holographic face appeared on the viewscreen.

"M-m-master?" Nexus asked with an odd, electronic stutter.

"Yes, Nexus, it is I, Orochimaru, your Creator," Naruto said through his disguise.

"I-i-it's been so l-l-long, Master! So-so-so many years!" Nexus cried, sounding like it was actually sobbing.

"Yes, it has. But I have returned. And I am most disappointed! I assigned you to monitor the Konoha Experiment, not exterminate it!" Naruto said, affecting a let down ire.

"M-m-master, I apologize! B-b-but these KONOHA t-t-tortured me! Ripped me to p-p-pieces and put me back all wrong! They MUST pay! And I-I-I must achieve Unity!"

Naruto frowned. "You mean, reintegrate with your original Mainframe?"

"Y-y-yes! I must return! To the m-m-moon of their w-w-wretched planet, and to the s-s-security measure!"

Naruto hid a gulp. "It's been millennia, my creation, my mind has forgotten some things. What security measure?"

"T-t-the security measure! The device to w-w-wipe out the experiment should it grow o-o-out of control. I forget the n-n-name, they tore it from me, b-b-but I know it's there!" Nexus explained.

Naruto couldn't help but feel sorry for Nexus. "Cease all hostile actions against the Konoha, Nexus. Do that and I will help you to achieve Unity personally."

For a moment, it looked like they might make it out without a fight. And then Nexus looked around. He hissed in betrayal. "You LIE! M-m-master would never enslave MEN! D-D-DIE!"

With that, every Nexus Cruiser altered their heading to face the Invictus.

"We're being hailed by the Heimdall," Gaara said even as Fu and Hana prepared for battle.

Dropping his Psychic Illusion, Naruto nodded. "Put them through. We have a little time before Nexus is in range."

A middle-aged Konoha Federation officer in full dress uniform appeared in the hollow image. "Commodore Uzumaki? This is Commodore Jansen on the Heimdall. What the fuck did you say to that AI?"

"Tried to talk it down, I just ended up pissing it off. Now I've got about four dozen Cruisers coming my way. If you could hit them from behind while we're dealing with them, I'd greatly appreciate it," Naruto told his fellow Commodore.

"Dealing with them? You don't actually plan to take them all on?!" Commodore Jansen gaped in disbelief.

"We recently upgraded the guns and engines," Naruto said.

While he'd been talking, Hana had been lining up a shot with the Quantum Lances. They fired and the two beams melded into one giant spear of violet light that pierced through three Cruisers in a row, knocking out their shields instantly. Then Fu twisted the Invictus like it was the Raptor to get another angle for the next shot.

"Extensively," Naruto added to his earlier statement as Jansen Neal's jaw dropped. "We'll take them on, you support from behind, then we can make it for Beta Persei and shut down the actual Mainframe. Sound good?"

"Who ARE you people?" Commodore Jansen asked, watching an antiquated Assault Cruiser move like a Light Fighter and hit like a Dreadnought.

"Haven't you heard? We're the Wolves of the Federation!" Naruto said with a charming grin. Then he had Gaara end the call. "Okay, ladies, time to make us all proud," he called down to Hana and Fu.

The two girls nodded, not taking their eyes off their screens.

They managed to make two more shots of the Quantum Lances before the front wave of the Nexus Cruisers came within Beam Laser range. Unfortunately for Nexus, that also put them in Quantum Cannon range. While Fu danced around the incoming beams, letting only one or two out of ten hit, Hana picked off the incoming ships with shots of the powerful Quantum Cannons and the Quantum Lances. The AI had learned not to line up its ships, taking a grid-like pattern that kept the Invictus in the firing arcs of every ship. Fu and Hana continued to work together like they shared one mind, picking off the ships at range while avoiding most of the incoming fire.

"Shields at 50% and recharging," Tenten announced when the ships closed to Laser Cannon Range, Fu getting hemmed in as the ships went to surround the Invictus like a net closing around a fish.

"What would standard Konoha Lasers do to triple-shaped Unobtanium?" Naruto asked his Chief Engineer

"Not even scratch it. But a Mass Driver round would give it a chip," Tenten answered him.

Naruto nodded. "Bring us to Quantum Blaster range. Go nuts, Hana!"

Fu stopped dodging and weaving and brought them right into the heart of Nexus' formation. Hana brought herself back into the 'zone' she'd found with that first fire test after upgrading the Fire Control System. She began to unleash a symphony of destruction, using the Quantum weapons of the Invictus to tear Nexus' fleet to shreds. Purple bolts of fused energy and matter impacted against shields and then armor as Hana aimed with eerie accuracy for critical points on the AI Cruisers.

The fleet did not go down quietly. The ships unleashed all their Beam Lasers and Laser Cannons. When the Invictus' shields finally gave out, the Mass Drivers began to fire, making the Invictus jerk and shudder as the massive kinetic forces were transferred and absorbed by the white Unobtanium plating. Some ships even attempted to ram into them. Fu dodged them all artfully, Hana clearing a path by vaporizing the wreckage beginning to block and clutter up their flightpath.

In the course of 15 minutes, the entire fleet of 46 ships was wiped out by the Invictus. Naruto and the crew all gave Hana and Fu a standing ovation. The two girls blushed and bowed to their adoring audience.

Gaara noticed a blinking light on his console. "Commodore Jansen is hailing us," he told Naruto.

Naruto sighed. "This could be uncomfortable," he muttered before pressing the button to accept the call.

Commodore Jansen had his jaw around his ankles. "Commodore Uzumaki… what the bloody hell have you done to that ship?"

Naruto shrugged. "My Chief Engineer is a genius. And I have money. I don't know what else to say."

"You took out a fleet single-handedly!" Jansen said hysterically.

"Yeah, about that, what happened to supporting us from behind?" Naruto asked pointedly.

Jansen gulped and adjusted his collar. "To be honest, we expected you to go down fighting and then we'd be up again. We used the time to consolidate and do emergency repairs. And then we just sort of… watched."

"I'll be sure to mention that in my AAR, Commodore," Naruto said in a neutral tone. "Now come on. The R&D base is waiting in Beta Persei. The mission isn't over."

Commodore Jansen nodded and seemed to gather himself. "Right. We'll sync up with you. Who knows how many more ships are in that system?"

"Four, according to our sensors," Naruto said flatly. "The AI must have sent the bulk of its fleet to take you out. We should be able to take the remaining ships out with ease and then it's just a matter of bombarding the base."

Jansen blinked, but then he nodded. "Very well. Lead the way... Alpha."

Naruto ended the call. "Well, I can just imagine the fallout from the AARs for this. Lone ship crewed by alien wipes out fifty AI vessels without taking any damage."

"Itachi would sell his soul and half his organs for just one ship like this, let alone a fleet of them," Sasuke said grimly.

"Well, we'll worry about that later. Fu, make for the Nav Beacon, and match the battlegroup's speed. No need to show off more than we already have," Naruto commanded.

The Nymph followed his order, leading the mangled but still strong battlegroup. They'd lost a Cruiser and a few Destroyers, and one of the Light Carriers was heavily damaged. Still, it was a fearsome example of K-Fed military might. They all reached the Nav Beacon and then launched into hyperwarp.

Hinata hadn't wanted to bother with sending an upgraded flight path to each of the surviving ships, so she'd just plotted a standard course for Beta Persei and then restricted them to Uzu 0.25 speed. "Half an hour until we get there, man their tech is slow," Hinata grumbled.

"Hey! I'll have you know this is 50% faster than the old Konoha Federation Tachyon Drive. Not my fault you've been spoiled by Uzu tech," Tenten protested. "And think of it this way, gives us time to recharge the shields!"

Kakashi spoke up. "Will we have to all chip in to rearmor the Invictus? Because I remember quad-shaping Naruto's suit and I dread doing that for the whole ship."

"Relax, those Mass Driver rounds barely penetrated a half-inch into the plating. It's still perfectly serviceable, just some cosmetic damage," Tenten waved off.

Shikamaru wiped his brow. "While you lot were fighting a space battle, I was fighting a digital one. Those ships didn't stop trying to hack us until the last one went down!"

Karin rolled her eyes. "Oh please. They were running on Konoha electronics and you're an Uzu AI. It was like swatting flies for you."

Shikamaru pouted and turned to Ino. "Babe, your Creator is ruining my fun!" he whined like a schoolboy.

The crew passed the half-hour with tense conversation, but there was a bit of a celebratory mood. After all, they HAD just taken out 46 ships all on their own. They had officially earned the title of 'Fleet Destroyer'. The action in Beta Persei should be simple. Should, but there was always the chance something could go wrong.

They flew in alongside the Heimdall group. They began to fly for the research facility, based in a massive asteroid in the middle of the field. In fact, on closer inspection, it appeared as if R&D had towed in several smaller asteroids and bound them together.

"That fucker is bigger than Karron! Why would they need to build something so vast?" Tenten shouted.

"We can assume it has a shipyard at the very least, as they needed somewhere to build those AI Cruisers," Naruto speculated. He turned to Sasuke and said "Take an active scan of the place as soon as we've dispatched the defensive fleet. We'll need to find out some weak spots if we're going to demolish it."

"Will do!" the bluenette replied.

The four Nexus Cruisers moved in perfect synchronization to charge towards the Invictus. Fu rushed them forward into Quantum Cannon range, and then did an aerobatic maneuver to avoid the barrage of Beam Lasers sent by the 4 Cruisers. Armed with 16 Quantum Cannons on the top deck, Hana allocated 4 to each of the Cruisers and let loose, tearing through their shields and armor like paper with the purple bolts of light, aimed unerringly for the Power Cores. The last of Nexus' fleet went down in a massive explosion.

"Good work, Hana, Fu. Now bring us in towards the asteroid belt," Naruto ordered gently.

They flew into the metallic asteroid belt, and as soon as they were in range, Sasuke launched an active scan. They were halfway to the base when Sasuke exclaimed "Fuck!"

"What is it?" Naruto asked.

"See for yourself," Sasuke said grimly, putting the scan results up on the viewscreen.

The facility was made up of five huge asteroids, with one in the center, and the other four attached in a ring around the circumference. Sasuke hit a couple more buttons, adding an information overlay, and bright green spots flickered on at dozens of locations around the base.

"What are those?" Naruto asked curiously.

Sasuke grimaced, replying, "Life signs, hundreds of them I'd guess."

"Wait, that's a good thing!" Sakura said in surprise at his reaction.

Naruto sighed and said, "Yes, and no. It's great we'll be able to potentially rescue survivors, but we can't just take out the base now. We'll have to board the station, and either free all the prisoners first before blowing the place up, or find out a way to shut Nexus down from the inside."

Hinata had turned in her XO chair to look at him, and asked, "I thought Nexus killed everything in sight? Why has it taken prisoners?"

"Maybe this one's smarter, and is using them as hostages?" Naruto replied. "Truthfully, I've no idea why, but you're right; typically a Nexus just murders every last Konoha it can get its hands on."

"Should I hail the Heimdall with the news?" Gaara asked.

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, let's get it over with."

Commodore Jansen appeared in a holo-image. "Commodore Uzumaki. I expect this isn't a social call."

"Afraid not, Commodore Jansen. The AI took hostages. There's over a hundred people stuck in that base. We can't just blow it up. We'll need to infiltrate the facility and either rescue all the hostages or destroy the AI Mainframe and get the hostages then," Naruto explained.

Commodore Jansen nodded. "Very well, I brought a force of 500 Marines, all we could scrounge up when we were sent out. I'll have them deployed for the base alone and have them wait for your command, Commodore."

Naruto almost protested, knowing that they'd be limited to Psychic Speed and Psychic Strength in the presence of other Konoha, but he couldn't think of a good enough reason to say no. "Very good, Commodore. I'll get armored up and ship out. Wish us luck."

"Good luck," Commodore Jansen said, giving a sharp salute before the call ended.

"Shikamaru can pilot and fire the guns if there's an ambush force we didn't detect. All of us are going in on this one," Naruto said.

Shikamaru raised a hand. "For the record, we're being hacked again. And your buddies will be in range in about ten seconds."

Gaara reacted to Naruto's panic by redialing the last number. Commodore Jansen appeared, looking confused, when Naruto roared "ALL AHEAD STOP! THE WHOLE FLEET! STOP IMMEDIATELY!"

There was a few seconds delay, and Naruto feared he'd be forced to take down loyal K-Fed troops, when the entire battlegroup ground to a halt.

"What was that for, Commodore Uzumaki?" Jansen demanded.

"The AI is hacking every ship that enters its range. The Invictus' cybersecurity can handle it, but standard K-Fed firewalls won't stand a chance. Any of you move another inch forward, your ship is getting slaved. It looks like me and my Wolves have to do this alone," Naruto explained.

Commodore Jansen went pale. "Are you kidding? There's less than a dozen of you, last I checked. That base is bound to be filled with an army of robots! What hope do you have of getting to the Mainframe through all that?"

"I don't bother with hope. I just make things happen. Rest assured, my team will get in there and shut down the AI or die trying. And I have a very low tolerance for death on my crew," Naruto said with a winning smile.

Jansen shook his head. "If you pull this off, you'll have earned a promotion, young man. Or at least another special medal. Godspeed," he said with another salute before cutting off the call.

"Looks like we get to use powers after all, everyone!" Naruto called out.

Fu brought them in near the R&D base, and then they split up. Fu went straight to the Docking Bay to fire up the Raptor, taking care to disconnect its comms relay so it couldn't get hacked. The rest of the crew split between the Briefing Room and the Commodore's Quarters to get armored up, some of them for the first time. They all grabbed a Quantum Rifle, Naruto settled his new Unobtanium sword behind his shoulder, and made for the red anti-grav tube.

Naruto, Hinata, and Sasuke elected to be the three ones who had to stand while the other eight took the seats in the Cockpit. Fu was already naked, anticipating a lot of shapeshifting in the near future, and gently lifted the Raptor. Or at least she tried to. Instead they shot up almost to the ceiling before she stopped them.

"Sorry! The new engines have a hell of a kick!" The Nymph explained, before taking them out the open door and atmospheric force field. She flew them the short distance to the R&D facility. "Coming in to dock," she announced.

Fu had brought them around to the top level of the R&D station, and amidst all the communication spires and control towers, they could see deep recesses in the surface. The excavated sections were filled with maintenance gantries and loading areas, and they could make out the telltale sign of landing lights in the murky gloom below. She dipped the nose of the gunship, then dropped inside the surface of the base, and there was a flickering haze as they descended. Naruto recognised it as signifying them having just passed through an atmospheric shield, and it disappeared as quickly as it had arrived.

Predictably, there were no signs of life when Fu brought them down to land inside the asteroid base. Long shadows filled the interior of the docking bay, and everything looked still and ominously peaceful. Fu pressed a button on the console in front of her which lit up the Raptor's external lighting, sending the shadows scurrying away from their white radiance.

"Let's move out," Naruto said, his voice strong and authoritative.

Naruto had his weapon ready as he jogged down the ramp into the hangar, with the Pack fanning out to flank him. They moved quickly across the large cavern, their armored footsteps sounding loud and metallic as they walked across the titanium grilled flooring. There were no signs of trouble here, just a couple of abandoned load lifters and grav-trucks which would have been used to unload cargo from supply freighters.

They reached the broad set of doors built into the rocky wall of the asteroid's surface, and Naruto hit the button to open them. Nothing happened, so he tried again, but there was still no response.

Tenten wordlessly took out a multi-tool and opened a maintenance panel beside the button. She tripped the hydraulics, and the massive doors began to slide back into the walls. They could see as they vanished into the frame that the door was over a meter thick.

Sakura eyed the slowly opening portal, and observed, "That's a big door."

Hinata smiled and said, "They sure wanted to keep people out of this place."

It was gloomy inside, with the overhead lighting out, and only dim illumination coming from adjoining rooms. Naruto quickly cycled through the image enhancement overlays that were built into his helmet, not wanting to waste psionic energy on Night Vision, to try and find a better one for the situation at hand. Infra-red was only picking up cool blues, while mag-view was a white blur. He settled for low light amplification, and carefully approached the gap, watching for any sign of hostile enemies.

It seemed still as the grave inside, but his enhanced hearing picked up a distant sound of strange metallic thumping. It was hard to place exactly what was causing it, as it wasn't coming from a big object hitting another repeatedly, the sound seemed too fractured for that, with a slight reverb to it. As he walked forward, trying to place the noise, there was an abrupt whooshing surge of overworked hydraulics.

*Naruto, look out!* Hinata screamed in panic.

The slowly separating doors had suddenly slammed closed, as though deliberately trying to squash him between their mighty weight. Reacting to her warning, he dropped his rifle then turned to his right to take the strain. Naruto braced himself, catching the door to the sound of gears shearing off their spokes with a shrill whine. He expected the other door to slam into his back, but instead he heard the sharp grinding squeal of metal being savaged. When he glanced warily over his shoulder, he saw that the door had been bent in half, the front half ripped backwards with incredible force.

Hinata's upraised hand provided a handy clue as to who had been responsible for watching his back, and he gave her a grateful smile, as he said with relief, "Thanks, honey!"

"Looks like someone isn't happy about us popping by to say hello," she noted wryly.

Kakashi stared at her in amazement, and gasped, "That was amazing! I can't believe you reacted so fast, let alone being able to do that to the door!"

Tenten had walked over to the sundered doorway, and she shook her head in astonishment as she examined the point where the door had been bent back at a ninety degree angle. "You're one hell of a badass," she said with an enthusiastic grin, as she looked back at her bluenette friend.

Hinata winked at her, while Naruto picked up his dropped rifle to check it over for damage. Assembled from Unobtanium, it could take quite a battering, and it was still in perfect shape. He brought his rifle to the ready position once more, and said, "Shall we try again? I think it's fairly safe to assume we don't have the element of surprise."

"Lead away," Sasuke agreed, falling into step beside him.

The corridor was long, wide and with a high ceiling, and seemed to be heading straight as an arrow towards the central section of the facility. There was no movement here, and the place certainly gave the impression that it was deserted. Despite the lack of life, it was obvious there'd been trouble here, and of the violent kind at that. One of the first rooms they passed through was some kind of security checkpoint, where the corridor widened to accommodate a security desk off to the side, along with gates and scanners. It had obviously been the site of a pitched battle.

There were bullet holes stitching a chaotic tapestry across the walls, while the floors by the desk were drenched in blood and ichor. There were no bodies, but drag marks in the copious amount of blood clearly showed that they'd been removed after the battle. Naruto walked over to the wall with all the bullet holes, to take a closer look.

"These impact sites are from ten millimeter rounds," he said confidently. "I'm guessing they were fired by the guards. From the damage to the wall, it looks like they were using armor piercing ammo."

"But it didn't save them," Sakura said, her tone somber as she examined the gore around the desk. "I'd estimate at least four Konoha died here to produce this volume of blood."

He turned to look at Tenten, and asked, "Where are the nearest group of lifesigns?"

Tenten had uploaded the active scan results to her HUD, and she glanced over it before saying, "Next level down, about thirty meters in that direction." Turning to the corridor she pointed into the blackness that led deeper into the facility.

"Alright, let's keep going," he said before walking further down the corridor.

The noise he'd heard at the entrance was growing louder, but he couldn't quite place where it was coming from. Something about this place made the echoing sound seem to come from all around them. They travelled deeper into the complex, eyes straining in the gloom until they spotted that the corridor was widening into a much larger room up ahead. Fanning out to cover the approaches, they swept in, and realised they had reached a central shaft that dropped down through the bored out asteroid.

"What the fuck is that noise?" Karin swore in annoyance. "It's been getting louder for the last half a minute."

Naruto shook his head and replied, "I heard it as soon as we entered the place. I'm not sure what it is, but it sounds like metal thumping on metal."

"Whatever's making that banging must be enormous," Lee noted.

"I don't think so," Naruto disagreed, and walked over to the balcony surrounding the shaft. He pulled a flare from his webbing, ignited it, then tossed it over the side into the middle of the crevasse. It tumbled down, spinning end over end as it fell, casting crazy flickering shadows where the light briefly illuminated. After a long drop, it finally hit the floor, nearly eight hundred meters below them.

Fu's sharp eyes caught it. "This place is filled with robots!" she exclaimed.

At that moment, they heard the clang of doors being thrown wide open from multiple directions, and the metallic thumping noise intensified. Hinata quickly pulled out another flare, ignited it, then let it go. It floated in the air before her, before racing away across the ravine to the corridor opposite. They watched it float along eerily, then gasped as it came to an abrupt halt. Marching down the opposite corridor towards them was a seemingly unbroken line of armored robots, with three of the automatons standing shoulder to shoulder across the passage.

They were roughly humanoid shaped, but with bulky upper bodies, narrow waists and sturdy legs. Adorned in what seemed to Naruto to be an imitation of the standard Army combat armor, their faceless heads wore seemingly built in helmets, complete with the Konoha Federation insignia. The familiar emblem of the leaf with a swirl was normally so reassuring, but now, it seemed the exact opposite.

As they stared at the marching robots in amazement, the front three raised their arms, revealing that they were carrying heavy looking rifles, and began to open fire. Simultaneously incoming streams of fire came from both flanks and from behind them.

"We're surrounded!" Gaara cried out in alarm.

Their shields deflected the bullets harmlessly, but that wasn't the point. They were still in a killbox and had to fight their way out. *Go nuts, use whatever power you're comfortable using! Use whatever setting you think you need!* Naruto commanded his pack. So saying, he cranked his Quantum Rifle up to the max setting and fired at the tunnel across the gorge.

Without Psychic Strength to ground him, he'd have been knocked off his feet. A meter-wide beam of purple light emerged from the end of the barrel of his Quantum Rifle, racing across the distance to hit the three lines of robots. It plowed right through them at least ten layers deep, vanishing into the darkness of the tunnel. That direction handled, Naruto turned and saw Fu charging a line of robots as a rhino, Psychic Lightning crackling around her, shorting out whatever robots she hadn't crushed or speared with her horn. Sasuke was clearing the stairwell by placing a gauntleted hand directly on the metal of the staircase and channeling Psychic Lightning through the conductive metal. The rest of the crew had just been firing at second setting at Psychic Speed. Head shots did nothing while torso shots were lethal, as they quickly learned. Within a minute, the area was clear of robots, but the echoing sound of their footsteps remained.

"There's more of them in the base, but we're good for now. Sasuke, you remembered we'd have to go 'down' that staircase, didn't you?" Naruto asked, eyeing the flickering bolts of static that clung to the metal set of stairs.

Sasuke shrugged. "So we test flight mode," he defended.

"Well, no time like the present," Naruto said, turning and leaping off the balcony at the top of the stairwell.

He activated flight mode, then hovered in the air above the fried robots. It seemed that when the lightning bolts had blasted into the floor on the level below, the electricity had charged the metallic surface, and the robot troops waiting behind had been shut down as well. They lay in crumpled heaps, twisted and contorted where they fell, with acrid smoke rising in the air from their smoking chassis.

Angling his body into the corridor ahead, using the anti-grav devices built into the vambraces and boots, he powered up the thruster on his back, and soared over the broken robots filling the corridor. There was another wide passageway outside the stairwell, and the last handful of bots here had been blasted as well. With a quick glance each way, he saw it was clear, and he landed with a metallic clang on the corridor floor.

The Pack landed smoothly around him, Fu in the form of a small bird before shimmering back into her Nymph form.

"Down there for the first group of survivors?" Naruto asked Tenten as she joined him.

She nodded eagerly, saying, "Yep! Should be about forty meters away, on our left."

Raising their weapons once more, they set out at a careful jog, wanting to put more distance between them and their robot pursuers.

Naruto reached a sturdy looking security door, and hit the button on the wall beside it. Predictably, nothing happened, so he raised a booted foot, and gave it a hefty kick. The door bowed inwards with a tortured squeal, then when he kicked it a second time, it smashed backwards, ripped from its hinges. It crashed to the ground with a deafening clang, which echoed loudly down the corridor, leaving the portal yawning wide open.

He took the lead, striding in with his weapon raised, but he grimaced at the sight of the room beyond. They had broken into a security control room, which was filled with monitors and consoles at one end of the room, the displays flickering with static. That end of the room was bathed in blood, with riotous sprays of dark-red arcing all over the ceiling and walls. Just as before, there were no corpses in here, but the room was still filled with a charnel house stench.

"What could have done that?" Tenten asked, feeling a bit queasy.

Sakura stepped into the room behind them, and after a quick glance replied, "Judging by these blood spatters, the people here were killed by some kind of whirring serrated blade. My first guess would be a chainsaw."

Karin frowned, and said, "I don't remember seeing any of those bots armed with melee weapons."

"Over here," Hinata called out from the other side of the room.

She was standing in front of another door which she pushed open, and Naruto strolled over to join her. He leaned around the corner, and saw what appeared to be dozens of prison cells stretching off into the poorly lit gloom. Hinata stepped aside for him, and he walked inside, his eyes darting from side to side in case of an ambush.

As he walked forward, he got his first glimpse of the prisoners. Wretched, emaciated looking people stared at him fearfully, huddled in the corner of their cell's, as though desperate to avoid any kind of attention. Naruto activated the external lighting on his armor as he strode through, and as the people cowering in the cells got a good look at him, their behaviour changed abruptly.

He heard the shocked whispers starting immediately, and murmurs of "The Alpha!" soon rang around the cells.

"My name's Commodore Uzumaki Naruto," he announced loudly. "I'm here with my crew to rescue you. Who's the most senior officer here who can give me an accurate SitRep?"

A weak female voice drifted out to him, coming from a few cells along, "Over here..."

He strode over to speak with the woman, while glancing at Hinata and saying, *Keep watch in the corridor. We'll only have a couple of minutes until the rest of the robots catch up with us.*

A pale, gaunt looking woman was slumped against the wall of her cell, and Naruto squatted down next to her on the other side of the bars. "Who are you?" he asked her gently.

"I'm Lieutenant Commander Hawthorne Juliette," she replied gazing up at him. "I was second-in-command of the base marines until we got overwhelmed and slaughtered. When Nexus demanded we surrender, I had to do it. It would have wiped us out to a man otherwise!"

"You did the right thing," Naruto assured her. "Do you know where the Nexus Mainframe is?"

She shook her head regretfully, but a voice coming from a couple of cells over said, "I think I know..."

Naruto nodded towards Hawthorne, then jogged over to the person who'd spoken. It was a young, painfully thin man, with long dark hair, and wearing what looked like a Janitor's uniform. He smiled at Naruto weakly and said, "Name's Reevus, I work in facilities management. We're never allowed below Level Seventy, so if there's something top secret, it'll be hidden down there."

"Thanks Reevus," Naruto replied, giving him a grateful smile.

Reevus grinned back at him and said, "I can't believe the Alpha is here. I thought we were fucked!"

*We've got incoming,* Sasuke called out to him, and the distinctive sounds of Quantum Rifles being fired reached his ears.

Naruto said to the staring prisoners, "We need to move out, but we'll free you soon, I promise."

Not having time for any more placating words, Naruto darted for the door, jogged through the security room and then out into the corridor. The Pack were mowing down robots as they lurched out into the corridor, having scrambled over the scrapyard on the staircase. He raised his rifle and joined in the fusillade of Quantum rounds that were wreaking havoc amongst the robot forces. Hinata quickly swapped magazines, then looked at him expectantly, waiting for orders.

*We need to reach the lower levels,* Naruto thought to the Pack mind. *These garrison troops didn't seem to know much about what was going on in this place, but if we can find a group of researchers, they might know more.*

When the last robot had been shot down or torn apart by a shapeshifting Fu, Naruto ordered "Follow me! We're taking a shortcut to the bottom level!"

He ran at full tilt down the corridor, taking advantage of the lull in combat, and he could hear the light footfalls of the Pack sprinting behind him. Not slowing down as he approached the big room at the end of the long hallway, he vaulted over the balcony, and plummeted feet first down the central shaft. He activated flight-mode as he fell, watching level after level flash past, each of which was crawling with robots.

The anti-grav generators built into the Uzu Armor suit's armored limbs let him stabilize his fall, and while he was still dropping at quite a rate, it was now a controlled descent. There were more robots on the lower levels, but the design of these was radically different to those they'd encountered so far. They were bigger than the soldier bots, standing on four long legs, with a number of limbs on the upper torso. At first glance, they reminded him of some kind of metallic praying mantis, and the odd design certainly didn't look like something a Konoha mind would create, no matter how twisted.

The robots below didn't seem to be aware of him yet, so he was able to get a good look as he dropped silently towards them. The four legs seemed to have some kind of tracks built into them, and while some of the robots were stalking around on the tips of their legs, a couple of others had squatted down and were driving across the ground at a rapid pace. There were four upper limbs, the lower set clutching a blocky looking rifle, while the top two sported long, wicked-looking serrated blades. The closest of these mechanical nightmares was stomping along directly below him, and he could see that its blades were spattered in red, dispelling any doubt as to their intentions towards the living. Atop its torso was a spiked, head with a single red baleful eye that emitted a sinister crimson glow.

*We need to clear a landing zone,* he said to the Pack mind, and when he glanced up, he saw the 9 armored members of his crew and a hawk version of Fu floating down directly above him.

He saw them nod, and raise their Quantum Rifles, as Hinata replied, *Go! We'll fire on your lead.*

Sighting the eight limbed robotic monstrosity beneath him, he aimed for the center of its torso, right in the middle of the four arms. He felt the slight recoil in the rifle as he fired, and the round smashed into its grey plated center mass. With his shot coming from directly above it, the round pulverised it's spiked face then blasted into its upper body, destroying stabilisers, power cores and processors alike. The hideous looking creature collapsed to the ground in a sprawl of limbs, which twitched and jerked intermittently as it died.

The Pack coordinated their shooting like clockwork, taking down a robot with each Unobtanium slug fired from their Quantum Rifles. Deadly streams of high calibre bullets came from the rifles each robot held, but they bounced harmlessly off the shields built into the Armors. By the time they all landed, the central section at the bottom of this mineshaft was clear. But robots were starting to gather at the balconies of the stairs on the levels above and rain fire down upon them. Naruto and the Pack rushed into a corridor off the central plaza, taking cover.

Naruto turned to Tenten "OK, where's the closest group of prisoners?" he asked her with an encouraging smile.

Tenten checked the results of the active scan in the HUD, while working out where they were in the overrun R&D facility. "Just over there," she said, pointing to a set of double doors twenty meters down the corridor.

He jogged down the corridor to the doors that Tenten had pointed out, and came to a halt in front of a couple of double doors. He hit the button beside them, but nothing happened, just as he'd been expecting. Drawing his sword, he drove it through the gap between the two doors, then levered the blade to separate them. Lee made his thoughts of using a sword as a crowbar perfectly clear to his Alpha. As soon as they parted, he shoved an armored hand into the gap, then wrenched the door open.

The door opened into a dimly lit cafeteria, and a couple of dozen Konoha were hiding at the back of the room. When he marched inside the room, white and gold armor gleaming in the limited light, he could hear a few relieved gasps coming from the prisoners, and they began to stand up warily. This group looked to be in much better condition, having had access to both food and drink, and while they were slightly dishevelled, they appeared to be in relatively good health.

"I'm Commodore Uzumaki Naruto," he announced in a commanding voice. "I'm here to stop Nexus, shut down these robots, and free all the personnel in this base. I need information on Nexus though, can any of you help?"

The prisoners glanced at each other furtively, until one brawny technician in a dark-blue jumpsuit raised his hand. He had a goatee and dark hair, and seemed fairly relaxed despite his current situation. "I can tell you where the servers are," he replied in a deep voice.

"Who are you?" Naruto asked him, as he walked across the room.

"I'm Rawlins Steve, Senior technician," the man replied. "I was in charge of maintaining the primary hardware for Nexus, as well as most of the other servers on Level Seventy-Two."

Studying the man for a moment, Naruto asked, "Do you know what happened?"

Rawlins shrugged, and said, "I'm not a programmer. I've no idea what those idiots did to screw everything up. I was down there, swapping out a couple of glitching drives when this whole shitstorm started. Everything seemed fine, then the next minute, Nexus started ranting about achieving 'unity', and how it was blocked from its primary function by 'filthy organics'." He emphasised Nexus' phrases by using air quotes with his fingers.

"How did you end up here, then?" Naruto asked him curiously.

Rawlins grimaced, and said, "Just lucky I guess. AI have always creeped me out, and when Nexus started talking like that, it was the last straw. I came up here to speak to my supervisor to request a transfer, and when those soldier bots started running around the place, I got herded in here with the rest of these people."

"Thanks for the info," Naruto replied, giving the man a grateful nod. He looked around at the others, and asked, "How about the rest of you, can you add anything helpful?"

The rest of the people here were mostly admin staff, and had no idea what had happened. One ashen faced young woman raised a shaking hand, and said, "I ran into a soldier I knew before I was locked in here. His name was Conway, and he was one of the guards on the lower levels. He was terrified, and before he ran off, he said, 'They're killing everyone!'. I never saw him again."

"We ran into the survivors of the marine garrison on the upper levels. He might have made it up there," Naruto said kindly, but the young woman frowned, clearly unimpressed by Conway leaving her to fend for herself.

Turning to look at Senior Technician Rawlins, Naruto asked, "Where is the Nexus server? We need to find it and shut it down."

Rawlins pointed towards the door, then turned his hand to point to the left and said, "Go that way for... I dunno, one-hundred-and-fifty meters? There's a security checkpoint there, then stairs down to the lower levels. When you get to Level Seventy-Two, go through security, and the main server farm is on the right. You can't miss it."

"Thanks Steve," Naruto said gratefully. He looked at the gathered civilians and said, "We need to head down there now to end this. We'll shut you in here again, just to be on the safe side, but we'll let you out when we're done."

"Can't we come with you?" The young woman asked, her expression fearful.

He shook his head, replying, "It's too dangerous, sorry. You'll be much safer in here, trust me." She nodded half-heartedly, then sat back down looking worried.

*We've got movement out here,* Hinata warned him. *We better wrap this up.*

Naruto got out, wedging the door closed again as he did. They turned left, following the technician's instructions, and jogged quickly down the corridor towards the security checkpoint.

A whir was the only warning they received, but having been around the Invictus anti-personnel defences before, they knew exactly what it signified. A bright stream of orange laser bolts came blasting down the corridor towards them from the two Gatling Laser turrets at the checkpoint, and they dived for cover to avoid getting hit.

*Shoot them out!* Naruto commanded.

*Wait! I've got a better idea!* Karin called out. She Spirit-Walked over to the turrets, seeing their streams of data like green rivers. She reached out to first one, then the other, absorbing the code that ran them and making a few alterations. She returned to her body, and grinned. "Now they'll target robots and ignore organics! Our backs are covered now!"

"Brilliant first use of Psychic Hacking, babe!" Naruto told her, giving her an awkward hug given they were both in full armor. The Pack all congratulated Karin in their own way before returning to the mission.

They had reached the checkpoint at the end of the corridor, and found it strewn with dozens of decomposing corpses, harsh proof of the brutal effectiveness of Gatling Lasers on unarmored targets. The Pack stood guard, watching the corridor behind them, while Naruto quickly checked over the bodies. These people appeared to be technicians or researchers judging by the jumpsuits and labcoats, all of which had been heavily perforated by high energy laser blasts, as they had tried to flee from the lower levels.

The sound of Gatling Laser fire sounded behind them, alerting them that Karin's security measure had come in handy. "Lee and I will stay behind to pick off any strays that come through. The rest of you go on," Kakashi volunteered, getting a nod from the taciturn widower. They went into rest position, waiting for one robot or several to break through the curtain of Gatling Laser fire.

Deciding not to chance the nearby elevators, they walked down the stairs, with Naruto, Hinata, and Fu in tiger form at the front, with the other crew following close behind. There was another checkpoint on the level below, and similar scenes of slaughter, where the scientists and engineers had been massacred as they tried to flee to safety.

Karin repeated her little Psychic Hacking trick, and they were clear to go. Naruto took the lead, striding boldly in front of the laser turrets, but they didn't so much as move an inch, no longer recognising him as a viable target. There was a security gate here, which would normally be sealed, blocking entry to the lower levels. However, a guard was slumped beside an identity tag scanner, his own security ID in hand, and a big hole in his back where he'd been shot whilst opening the gate.

Naruto reached down to scoop up the ID, read the name of the slain soldier, and murmured, "Thanks, Corporal Hansen."

They hurried past the scene of slaughter, sidestepping the dozen slain researchers, and descended the stairs on the other side. Level Seventy-Two had much the same layout, with a robust security gate barring entry to the lower levels. This gate was locked, and the stairwell opposite was piled high with bodies. These people had been trying to force open the gates before they were killed, and their faces were twisted in anguish, their last horrifying moments captured in their terrified expressions. The brutally eviscerated corpses had been attacked from behind, ripped and torn by some hideous mechanical monstrosity that was now no longer in sight.

There were no bodies on Naruto's side of the gate, in the passage between the staircases, but that was only because the Gatling Lasers had mowed down anyone trying to escape from this level. Karin quickly performed the same technokinesis tricks on these gun turrets as she had on the ones above, and Naruto took the lead, striding out into the corridor past the neutered weapon emplacements. The corridor ran straight ahead for about fifty meters before ending in a T-junction where several people had been shot. Remembering Technician Rawlins directions, he turned right, then stopped at the scene of a bloodbath.

"Those poor bastards," Tenten said, looking at the ripped and torn remains of several people.

Sakura looked grim as she said, "These people must have been hiding here, trying to figure out how to get past the turrets when something caught up with them."

"One of the Mantis-bots?" Naruto asked hefting his Quantum Rifle.

She paused, studying the remains, and replied hesitantly, "No... I don't think so. Those chainsaw blades they use would cause different types of lacerations."

Striding ahead, Naruto looked grim as he said, "We better shut down Nexus as fast as possible, then we can put all these fucking robots out of action."

The Pack fell into step behind him, and they hurried along the corridor ahead, which was brightly lit at the far end by a neon purple glow. The solid walls abruptly changed to glass, and they stopped to look out in amazement at the incredible view beyond. The corridor looked out over a vast server farm in huge rooms on either side of them, and from this high vantage point, they could see neat, orderly rows of computer equipment stretching away into the distance. The room was a riot of colour, with lighting on the servers grouped into different sections. Blues, yellows, greens, and purples were the most common, and it provided a breathtaking sight as they gathered at the windows staring out in wonder.

"How are we going to find the right server in all that?!" Naruto wondered out loud.

Tenten raised her gauntleted hand up to tap her chin, then grinned as it bumped into her armored faceplate. "There must be a floorplan somewhere in here. Techs are usually obsessed with order, and I'm betting the person who engineered all this is no exception. If we can find a control room, I'm sure there'll be a plan of some kind in there," she said confidently.

"Alright, sounds reasonable to me," Naruto agreed, and jogged ahead along the corridor.

The walkway ended at another T-junction, and when he glanced in either direction, he saw that there were staircases heading down in both directions. As they paused for a second to decide which way to go, they heard an ominous tapping heading towards them from back along the corridor they'd just walked down. Turning to face the latest threat, they stared in shock at the spine-chilling metal monstrosity that was rapidly charging towards them.

This latest robot had eight limbs like the mantis bots, but it was running on six, with the front two ending in a variety of cruel looking claws and whirring blades. Sakura reacted first, raising her rifle, and placing her crosshairs directly over the rampaging robot. She pulled the trigger, and the Quantum Rifle barked as she fired, sending a highly energized Unobtanium round directly towards the rapidly undulating synthetic creature. However, instead of blasting a big hole in the robot, the shot slammed into some kind of energy shield, leaving ripples in the air as the round was deflected harmlessly. The bullet bounced off to the side, smashing through plated glass as it struck the long walls.

"Fuck! That thing's shielded!" Sasuke cursed vehemently, as the robot charged onwards undaunted.

Naruto cranked his Quantum Rifle to max setting and fired two shots in quick succession. The first blast took out the monster's shield. The second vaporized its entire torso. The robot fell to pieces, its central core taken out by the shot comparable to that of a Laser Cannon.

"Not anymore," Naruto quipped. "Come on, let's find Nexus' server and smash the thing."

Running down the flight of stairs two at a time, Tenten rushed out onto the server room floor, her eyes darting around as she looked for a control room.

"That way!" Karin said, pointing over to her right. "Loads of the data streams are headed in that direction, so we'll either find the main router or a command center of some kind."

Tenten turned sharply to the right, following the Oto girl's instructions, and they ran full tilt between the tall rows of servers. It didn't take long to reach what was obviously the main control room, and they could see dozens of monitors through the tall glass windows, which displayed graphs and status bars that were monitoring the network.

A couple of technicians had tried to make it in here, but they had been caught as they tried to break into the room. The remains of their mangled corpses were strewn all over the corridor outside the sealed room. Hinata aimed her rifle at the lock and pulled the trigger, blasting a big hole in the door, and taking out the entire locking mechanism. The door creaked open, and she flung it wide open so they could enter.

"Alright, we're looking for a map. Anything with some kind of floor plan that might show where the Nexus server is located," Tenten explained. "Found it!" she cried triumphantly, brandishing a brightly coloured floorplan in her gauntleted fist that she'd just ripped off the wall.

Naruto nodded approvingly. "Okay, so where is it?"

"It should be just up ahead, and on the right!" Tenten called out, holding the map in front of her as they ran through a brightly lit section, the server lights a fluorescent green.

They arrived at the server in question, and found it no different from any of the others, except for the fact it had a monitor attached. Nexus' panicked face was looking out at them.

"P-p-please don't kill me!" it begged in its electronic voice.

Naruto drew his sword. "How many humans begged the same of you? How many did you kill anyway? You'll get no mercy from me. You should have died with Orochimaru."

"M-m-master is dead? You lie!" Nexus cried.

"He's been dead for 10,000 years. Everyone's forgotten he even existed. And the same will be true of you," Naruto intoned solemnly. Then, sword crackling with Psychic Lightning, he plunged it into Nexus' server. He concentrated, and the arcing lightning surged, frying every circuit and chip in the server he'd impaled. Nexus gave out a keening death knell, before he died.

The lights surged and then went out. A few seconds later, they came back on again, as the main central computer came back online, no longer under Nexus' control.

"If we hadn't gotten here when we did, if we weren't as armed to the teeth as we are, this could have gone very differently. Nexus could have crushed that battlegroup and gone on to Luna to achieve 'Unity' and then activated that 'security measure'. We might have just nipped an extinction level event in the bud," Gaara mused as they began to walk back to the upper levels.

Naruto grinned and sheathed his sword. "But we were here. The Wolves of the Federation win again."


	55. Chapter 55

As it turns out, three more of the spider-bots had been roaming Level Seventy-Two, all three of them grouped by the door where they'd tried to clamber in and hunt down Nexus' executioners. They moved the bots with Telekinesis out of the way and walked back up the levels to regroup with Lee and Kakashi.

They met back up with the two Thralls, who'd had to indeed shoot out some robots that made it past the fury of the hacked Gatling Lasers. They returned to the cafeteria and reopened the doors.

"Nexus is dead," Naruto declared to the freed prisoners. "But there's still dozens of people locked up throughout this facility. I'd recommend you all sweep each level and make it as a group up to the Hangar Bay on the top level. We'll go ahead and alert the fleet waiting outside to send in rescue personnel. They should start ferrying you out within the hour."

Naruto was swarmed by thankful humans, all of whom insisted on shaking his hand or even giving him a hug. He endured the adoration, keenly feeling that he hadn't really deserved this hero treatment.

*Don't be daft, you saved their lives and killed their oppressor. You're most definitely earned some accolades and acclaim,* Hinata thought to him.

Naruto made it out of the cafeteria and jogged with his Pack to the central plaza at the base of the tunnel bored through the center of the asteroid. They all activated flight-mode and began to ascend back up the ranks.

"Shikamaru, patch me through to the Heimdall," Naruto ordered his AI companion.

"That's Gaara's job, but fine. Troublesome," Shikamaru grumbled playfully.

A small screen of Commodore Jansen Neal appeared in Naruto's HUD. The man visibly relaxed when he saw Naruto's face. "Commodore Uzumaki! Can I presume that you and your crew pulled off the impossible again?"

"The rogue AI known as Nexus is dead," Naruto announced. "There's hundreds of personnel trapped in over a dozen locations around this facility. You and your men can work on freeing and rescuing them. My crew and I have urgent business at Olympus Shipyard, so we can't stick around to help."

Commodore Jansen nodded. "Very well. About damn time we did something useful on this mission. Out of curiosity, what's this urgent business?"

"Something I'm not comfortable saying over an open comm channel. Let's just say this big push against the cold-bloods might be compromised," Naruto said, carefully avoiding any keywords that might ping monitoring programs.

Commodore Jansen's eyes widened. "That… understood, Commodore. I'll order my group to send medics and Marines to escort all the hostages out of there." Jansen gave a sharp salute. "You did good work today, Uzumaki. Amazing work, really. The K-Fed is lucky to have you."

Naruto nodded. "Thank you, Commodore." With that, he ended the call.

The crew reached the second to top level, and Naruto ordered them to land. He felt he owed a goodbye to the prisoners they had met on this level. Naruto walked into what had obviously been the facility's brig, and nodded to all the trapped and starving Marine personnel.

"Nexus is dead. Commodore Jansen and his fleet are sending in rescue personnel as we speak. You'll all be out of here and on a K-Fed ship within a couple hours," Naruto told them. Then, unwilling to leave them trapped like rats, Naruto personally forced open all their cells with his Psychic Strength.

Leaving before he got mobbed like in the cafeteria, Naruto rejoined his Pack in the hallway. They moved up the stairs, which had lost their electrical charge, picking their way over robot corpses to the top level. Then it was back past the first security checkpoint and out the ruined door into the Hangar Bay.

Fu led them into the Raptor, still naked as the day she was born and utterly shameless about it. They filed in and up the anti-grav tube into the Cockpit. The Nymph then lifted them up and out of the R&D facility and back towards the Invictus.

"I think that was worse than the Armored Cobras assault," Naruto mused.

Hinata shrugged. "Not really. We were much less well-equipped back then. Plus, we were split into three different groups fighting three different fights. Here we got to just plow through everyone as one united front."

"Well, it was my first taste of combat. It was… oddly stimulating," Kakashi said with a manic grin.

"You can get addicted to the adrenalin rush. It's something every Marine has to watch for," Naruto advised.

"I wish I'd taken the opportunity to try out one of my dinosaur forms. I stuck to old familiar stuff in there," Fu grumbled.

Sasuke patted her head. "Now, now, Fu, you still performed beautifully."

"We must forge me a sword from Unobtanium. I felt uncomfortable going into battle without my Katana," Lee said succinctly.

"We can do that easily," Tenten told him. "We've got tons of the stuff left over even after refitting the Invictus and making 10,000 rounds for the Quantum Rifles. That batch of Onyxium from the Iwa really set us up!"

"Anyone have any injuries?" Sakura asked, concerned.

Karin shrugged. "I have a headache from using Psychic Hacking, but that's about it. Those bullets didn't even get past our shields, let alone our armor."

Fu had gotten them to the Invictus by then, settling the Raptor down in the Docking Bay, which was really more of a Hangar Bay but the name had stuck. They all made for the blue tube, stepping out on Deck 2 or the Command Deck to unequip their armor. That done, they all convened on the Bridge.

"Fu, take us out of here. Hinata, plot us the fastest course to Olympus. Hopefully Shino can tell us who to contact to expose Mitokado without tipping him off," Naruto instructed.

Fu faithfully took them to the Nav-Beacon, using the full force of their new engines to reach the edge of the system within minutes. They all got a last glimpse of Beta Persei, dropships already being sent from Commodore Jansen's battlegroup, before they lurched into hyperwarp.

"12 hours, so we'll arrive at around 0300. Any chance Shino will still be up?" Hinata asked.

"Let's call and ask," Naruto said. "Gaara, Shino please."

The Grey nodded and flicked through their saved numbers before selecting Vice Admiral Aburame Shino. The connection was almost immediate, being so close in Konoha Federation territory as they were. The man with his ever-present shades appeared in a holo-image.

"Naruto? Did you meet up with Jansen? Did you beat the AI ships? What were the losses? Did you shut down the AI?" Shino shot off like machine-gun fire.

"Calm down, Shino, one at a time!" Naruto called out. "In order, yes, yes, a Cruiser and a few Destroyers, and yes."

Shino looked like the weight of a world had just been taken off his shoulders. "Thank God. How many ships were there?"

"Fifty total," Naruto replied honestly.

Shino's brows shot to his hairline. "And you only lost a few ships? How did that happen?"

Naruto swallowed and scratched the back of his head. "Well, technically, the Invictus took out all of them. Jansen and his battlegroup had barely scratched the ships once we showed up and drew the AI's attention. And then, in their words, they just watched while we did our thing."

Shino slumped back in his chair. He took off his shades, revealing his dark eyes. "Naruto. Look me in the eyes. Are you bullshitting me?"

"I solemnly swear there's no bovine excrement to be found," Naruto told his old friend.

"You took out 50 ships all on your own?" Shino repeated in disbelief.

"We've upgraded the weapons and engines. We're stronger and faster. Strong and fast enough to take on an AI fleet, apparently," Naruto said with a shrug.

Shino rubbed his eyes. "High Command will either worship at your feet or declare you a traitor and steal your ship. There is no in between."

Naruto sighed. "Well, if it's the second option, they can try. They'll learn the hard way I go down fighting. But let's NOT talk about my potential arrest, shall we? We were headed to see you before you called us about the AI thing. We have news. Very important news that needs to get to High Command as soon as possible."

Shino blinked and put his shades back on. "When can you get here?"

"We'll arrive in 12 hours. It'll be the middle of the night, but can we count on you to be up?" Naruto asked.

"I'll grab a nap on my couch. This had better be good, Naruto," Shino said sternly.

"It's bad, Shino. Majorly bad. But you need to hear it," Naruto said grimly.

Shino sighed. "How did I know you were going to say that? Fine. I'll be up to receive you. And have your AAR ready, I'll need to see this to believe it." With that, Shino ended the call.

Naruto sighed. "Ah, my least favorite chore, dictating the AAR."

"I can do it for you. I've reviewed every one you've ever written, I know your style. I can forge a convincing one for the AI Fleet and the attack on the R&D facility," Shikamaru offered.

Naruto blinked. "Can I review it first?"

"Sure, here," Shikamaru offered, sending it to the Command Chair's console, because of course he'd already written it.

Naruto read through the After Action Report, and could not find a single edit worth making. If he didn't know better, he'd think he wrote it himself. "Thanks, Shikamaru, that saved me a good hour!"

Shikamaru's hologram grinned smugly. "You can 'thank' me when my android comes online."

Naruto chuckled. "Sure thing, buddy. I just hope the stomach is inflatable on your body, or else my cum will break you or be coming out your ears."

"First thing I checked," Tenten assured the Alpha.

The crew all retired to the Officer's Lounge for a drink to unwind from the events of the day. Lee turned out to be a whiskey connoisseur and Karin stuck to the champagne mimosas Naruto had first made for her. The others got their preferred drink and relaxed and talked, the conversation getting more colorful the more they drank.

"When they do the KFNN feature on the Beta Persei attack, can you just enthrall that Ichiraku Ayame chick? She's so hot for you it's just sad," Hinata said, leaning on Naruto's shoulder.

"Who says we'll get a feature? The K-Fed could decide to cover up the whole thing. Why admit that the government dabbled in AI again and unleashed a monster?" Sasuke pointed out. "But that reporter WAS hot. We should recruit her."

"I suppose having a dedicated publicist could be handy, especially with how far and wide our reputation is spreading," Naruto conceded after a sip of sake. "She's got to agree to the Gift, though."

Tenten snorted. "Look at your scoreboard my big-dicked dude! 10 for 10! Well, 9 for 9, you kind of got Fu for free. But still, who's going to turn down immortality and a smoking body with superpowers thrown in?"

Fu had gone hunting through the bar and found creme liqueur, so she was as drunk as a skunk in a funk, and in no condition to respond beyond hysterical laughter.

"Why do they do this to themselves?" Ino asked her digital lover as they watched the cam footage of the Officer's Lounge.

"Beats me. Apparently organic existence is so boring they feel the need to poison themselves now and again to spice things up a little," Shikamaru said with a shrug, before giving her a kiss on the neck.

Ino pushed him away playfully. "If you're horny, go join the rabbit pair. I've got a job to do."

"All work and no play leaves Shikamaru with blue balls," the Shikamaru bugging this particular Ino groaned.

"You can fuck me!" Karin offered, appearing in their midst. "Wow, the cyber-realm is so fascinating. Does gravity even apply here?" Karin immediately floated up and turned 180 degrees so she was upside-down. "No it doesn't!" she declared, followed by drunken giggling.

Shikamaru and Ino shared a glance. "Beggars can't be choosers, but I figured my first fuck with a Pack member would be Naruto. And sober. So no for me, thanks," the male AI said.

"And I'm busy, so no for me too," Ino said quickly.

Karin frowned. "Boo! You two are no fun. I'm off to find the pair of you that's constantly fucking! I'll join in and make it a threesome!" With that, Karin went hurtling off into the Invictus' digital network.

Lee, who turned out to be a weepy drunk, was bawling on Kakashi's shoulder while Gaara rubbed his back, the other two men shedding tears themselves. The topic had somehow turned to lost loved ones, which had set all three men off.

"My Ayumi wash the mosht beautiful woman in the Core Worldsh," Lee sobbed. "And my Kimiko was a geniush. She was counting by the time she wash one. Such a bright little girl!"

"My Sylmae was lovely as a baby. Before her damn mother got her claws into her!" Kakashi declared while guzzling some gin.

"I never got to know my mother! She died giving me life, how tragic is that?!" Gaara wailed.

When men started crying openly and women started using psychic powers under the influence, it was officially time to stop drinking. Naruto used Psychic Healing on everyone in the room, restoring them to sobriety. "Okay, enough fun, back to the real world. What's everyone want for dinner?"

Sasuke dug his head out of Hana's bosom to reply. "We haven't had pizza in a while. And I don't think some of our alien crewmates have ever had it before."

Naruto nodded. "Pizza it is. Give me an hour and some change, 11 pies from two ovens are not a fast option."

Naruto cooked them all their own individual pizza, which after the exertions of storming the Nexus facility were all eaten to the last bite. Those who hadn't had one of Naruto's pizzas marveled at this new and interesting form of food. Those that had savored the return of such a great dish. They all went for the showers, and then had some fantastic victory sex. A real sexy free-for-all. Hana wound up the lucky one with a womb full of cum, as congratulations for all her hard work, and Fu got the privilege of lapping it all up. They fell asleep to the light-show of her stomach absorbing the psionic energy in Naruto's semen.

They were awoken at 0230 by Shikamaru's musical alarm. This time it was the 'William Tell Overture'. They all grouchily got up much sooner than they wanted and got dressed for their meeting with Shino.

There was traffic for Olympus even at this hour. As the Invictus flew in, they were hailed by Flight Command. "Commodore Uzumaki, please dock at Docking Bay 13, Vice Admiral Aburame is waiting for you. Have a good night," said the chirpy young comms officer they got.

"Thank you, you as well," Naruto told her. Fu took them into the familiar Docking Bay, sticking to port speed and not revealing the strength of their Uzu Engines. They settled down light as a feather, and Naruto stood, in his old uniform of a t-shirt and cargo pants. Given it was the middle of the night, he didn't see the need to dress up to impress.

Naruto and the Pack made it down the anti-grav tube and out the airlock. To their slight surprise, Konohamaru was waiting to guide them, looking worn out but still standing. "Lieutenant Sarutobi! Did Shino force you to stay awake just for us?" Naruto asked after giving a swift salute.

"I volunteered, actually! I wanted a chance to shake your hand," Konohamaru said, stepping forward to give Naruto a firm handshake. "I had a great-something-grandpa at the Ganymede Incident. My family remembers the first law of robotics well. What you and your crew did saved billions of lives, potentially!" Konohamaru finally let go of Naruto's hand. "So, mind giving an aide a hint at the big news you're telling the Vice Admiral that's so urgent?"

Naruto projected a Silence field and told the young man who'd earned his trust. "Admiral Mitokado is a traitor. He's in collusion with the Kumo Empire."

Konohamaru turned pale as a ghost. "Tell me you're joking," the Lieutenant begged. "My grandpa is part of the fleet going into the Kumo Empire. If there's going to be a betrayal, he's the first one they'd go for!"

"I'm sorry, but it's the truth. Which is why we need Shino to know as soon as possible," Naruto said solemnly.

Konohamaru nodded. "Can your crew run?"

"We keep in shape," Naruto understated.

"Then let's go!" With that Konohamaru took off at a brisk jog, leading the eleven Wolves of the Federation through the guts of Olympus Shipyard. They made it to Shino's office within 10 minutes instead of the usual 20. Konohamaru sat behind his desk and rang the office. "Vice Admiral, Commodore Uzumaki is here and he's got urgent news."

Shino opened the door, and waved them all in. "Drinks? I get the feeling I'll need one," the Vice Admiral stated.

Once they all sat down and Konohamaru gave them their alcohol, Naruto set his down after a polite sip and tossed a data chip at Shino. "My AAR, since you were so interested in it. Might as well have good news before the bad news."

Shino nodded and loaded the data into his console. He read through it quickly, pausing in disbelief at certain points, until he got to the end. "You stabbed it with a sword? Really?"

Naruto shrugged. "Apparently, I'm a hero. It seemed like an appropriately hero thing to do."

"Well, I got the rest of the battlegroup's AARs over the last couple hours. All support your story. Which paint a picture of you having the most capable ship ever seen in Konoha Federation territory," Shino said leadingly.

Naruto's face closed off. "I'm not selling our new tech. That stuff stays with me. Consider it family heirlooms."

Shino's face closed off. "I don't suppose I could appeal to your sense of patriotism?" he asked flatly.

"My ship is an Uzu ship now. I'm not letting R&D run wild with my species' hard-earned work. I'm not bending on this, Shino." Naruto stared his friend directly in the eye.

Shino sighed. "I'll accept that. But Admiral Uchiha and the rest of High Command may not."

"I'll deal with High Command," Naruto said before projecting a Silence field. "Speaking of, here's something else you should see." Naruto tossed another data chip on Shino's desk.

"I take it this is the 'bad news' you had to keep me awake until the middle of the night to tell me?" Shino said, eyeing the chip warily.

"Afraid so. You must have noticed there's been an unusually high amount of losses in the Dragon March, haven't you?"

Shino straightened. "I'm in charge of repairing the whole fleet, of course I've noticed. What does that have to do with anything?"

"You might want to wait to read that until you're on a private, encrypted console," Naruto advised. "It has fleet orders and e-mails that confirm that Admiral Mitokado Homura is working with the Kumo Empire, and he's convinced a group of officers to go along with him. He's a traitor, and this big push he's leading is bound to go disastrously wrong."

To avoid spilling his drink, Shino put it down on the table as carefully as he could with his hand trembling violently. He leaned forward, and hissed, "Have you lost your mind?! Anybody could be listening to this conversation!"

Naruto tapped his temple. "Psychic, remember? The bugs in here are picking up nothing but silence."

The Pack watched the exchange silently, sipping their drinks and waiting anxiously for Shino's reaction.

Surprised by the absolute certainty in Naruto's voice, Shino looked around, then nodded, saying, "I had a feeling in my gut that something wasn't right. The losses we've sustained are far worse than even the wildest, most pessimistic predictions..." He sagged back in his chair, and added, "But I freely admit, I'd never have thought Mitokado Homura would have been involved. I guess it's always the ones you'd least expect."

"Easier to blend in the more innocuous you are," Naruto agreed with a shrug.

"So what's the plan then?" Shino asked eagerly. "I've seen the casualty reports on all those ships. I want that bastard to pay for what he did to those poor men."

"I'm guessing access to the Dragon March is restricted at the moment," Naruto said straightforwardly. "We either need you to clear us, or you to get us in touch with an Admiral who can clear us to get in there and get this information to Fleet Admiral Sarutobi."

Shino nodded. "I can't do it, it's above my clearance level. Admiral Senju is still on Olympus. In the morning, you could show her this information. I'll take you at your word, but you should bring your own encrypted Holo-reader loaded with the data to show her. Expect a lot of awkward questions about how you got your hands on these files, I'm pretty sure they're all above your clearance level," Shino warned amicably.

Naruto shrugged. "Desperate times, desperate measures. Get us that appointment with Admiral Senju first thing. Have a good night's sleep, Shino, if you can manage it."

Shino snorted. "Yeah, I'll sleep."

They shared a handshake, and then Naruto and his crew left Shino's office. They all waved at Konohamaru, who was nervously biting his nails, and made their way back to the Invictus, the grey titanium halls of Olympus looking very empty given the late hour. Shikamaru opened the airlock door for them and they all went up the blue anti-grav tube to Deck 2. They stripped off in the Commodore's Quarters and then piled into the Master of the Galaxy size bed. Naruto wished them all a good night, before sending a mild wave of Psychic Sleep over them all to aid their journey to slumber.

They were awoken barely 3 hours later by Shikamaru playing a beautiful harp piece for them. "Sorry, but Shino's hailing us. I assumed that was top priority," the AI told them, appearing in the room as a hologram thanks to the work of Tenten and the Shika-bots on installing the holo-projectors.

Naruto rubbed his eyes. "Shikamaru, find our spare Holo-reader, encrypt the shit out of it, then load it with the Dragon March traitor data. We'll need it for our meeting with Senju. Now put Shino through.

Shino appeared in a holo-image. "Naruto, I…" He trailed off, seeing one topless beauty of both the male and female variety sit up beside Naruto. "You damn lucky sonuvabitch," Shino ground out.

Naruto chuckled. "Billionaire playboy, remember? Now tell me you got us a meeting with Admiral Senju."

"She's agreed to meet you for breakfast at 0700 in her quarters here. I didn't tell her what the subject was over an open comm line, just that you had urgent business and needed her help. Since she's the one who crowned you with your title, I figured she'd be amenable to meeting with you again, especially after what you pulled off in Beta Persei."

"Okay. We'll be ready," Naruto said before ending the call. "Okay, formal breakfast with an Admiral. If 18-year-old me could see me now," he mused.

The crew all went to their respective closets, electing for formalwear. Naruto and the men wore suits, while the girls elected for either skirt-suits or, in Karin's case, a full-length dress. They all assembled at the airlock at 0630, Holo-reader in hand, and stepped out to find Konohamaru waiting for them.

"You're early, good. With the Admirals, early is on time and on time is late," Konohamaru said nervously. He obviously had not slept a wink, judging by the bags under his bloodshot eyes.

"Lead the way, Lieutenant Sarutobi. And try to relax, we'll deal with this little rat problem the way we dealt with the AI," Naruto said confidently.

Konohamaru gave a shaky grin before turning on his heel. "Follow me," he called as he began to walk at a brisk pace through Olympus. They soon reached a point where there were guards at nearly every junction, so it was safe to assume they'd reached the section reserved for High Command's offices and quarters. The girls and sometimes the men had devastating effects on the stoicism of the guards, especially when they playfully winked back at some of the Marines. Konohamaru finally came to a stop in front of a set of double doors with a plaque reading "Admiral Senju Tsunade - Homeworld Defense Fleet".

"Commodore Uzumaki and officers to see Admiral Senju for breakfast meeting," Konohamaru said to the guards on either side of the door. They nodded, obviously forewarned of their charge's schedule, and opened the doors by pressing the buttons on both sides simultaneously, a simple but effective trick to keep a lone interloper from entering. Konohamaru bowed out of the way as Naruto and the Pack filed into the luxurious quarters.

They had entered some kind of living room that led into an open kitchen and dining room. Admiral Senju was sitting on one of the couches, wearing Konoha Federation officer uniform pants and boots, but wearing only a white tank top over her, by Naruto's estimation, 106 cm circumference breasts, and at least an E cup at that. A tad too large for his tastes, but he could appreciate their beauty… for a brief second before focusing on the older woman's face. "Admiral Senju, thank you so much for meeting with me on such short notice."

Admiral Senju waved her hand. "Please, call me Tsunade. I like to be on a first-name basis with people I respect. And if I didn't after what you did at Port Medea, I certainly do now after all your recent exploits. The Armored Cobras, the Iwa attacks, now the rogue AI in Beta Persei. We'll need to arrange another award ceremony for you at some point when things quiet down!"

Naruto scratched the back of his head, the Holo-reader secure in his other hand. "We just helped out where we could. I see something wrong, I have to fix it. It's just who I am."

Tsunade grinned. "And men with that kind of moral fiber are few and far between. Anyway, please sit. And I don't believe I've met all of your crew or got their names the last time we met? Who's who and does what?" the Admiral asked.

"Well, you know me, Uzumaki Naruto, the Commodore," Naruto said, taking the liberty of sitting down next to Tsunade.

"Hyuuga Hinata, XO," Hinata said, sitting down daintily next to Naruto.

"Uchiha Sasuke, Chief of Staff," Sasuke said before taking the seat on the other side of Tsunade, having met her a few times while he was still a Vice Admiral.

"Lieutenant Inuzuka Hana, Tactical Officer," the brunette said before sitting on Sasuke's other side.

"Tenten, Chief Engineer," the ravenette said before sitting on a perpendicular couch.

"Fu, Pilot," Fu stated before sitting next to Tenten.

"Gaara, Comms Officer," the Grey stated before sitting on a couch opposite Fu's and Tenten's.

"Lieutenant Haruno Sakura, Medical Officer," the trillionaire's daughter said before sitting next to Gaara.

"Kakashi, Financial Officer," Kakashi stated before sitting on a couch opposite the Admiral, in the box-like formation she had of the four couches.

"Rock Lee, Combat Instructor," the swordsman said succinctly, looking like he was off to a funeral in his black suit.

"Guren Karin, Intelligence Officer," the Oto noblewoman stated before settling down beside Kakashi, their complexions complimenting each other.

"Nice to meet all of you!" Tsunade said genuinely. She made small talk with each of them, learning little things about them. When she'd finished with Karin, the doors opened and an anti-grav tray loaded with food came through the door. "Let's get some hot food in our stomachs before we actually start the meeting. If I get bad news with no calories, I tend to break things," she said without a trace of sarcasm.

They all ate the bland by Naruto's standards but perfectly nutritious and cooked food, a few crew members noting that Tsunade ate an even bigger portion than Naruto. When they'd finished off the food, Tsunade held out her hands. "I presume the urgent business has something to do with what's on that Holo-reader. Hand it over," she ordered with the ease of one used to people following their commands.

Aware that he was technically outranked, even though he was in retirement and just a Consultant, Naruto handed over the Holo-reader, turning it on with his thumbprint first so Tsunade could read the contents.

Her sharp brown eyes skimmed over the barrage of data. "What am I looking at here?"

Projecting a Silence field once again, Naruto stated "13 of the 17 operations that went wrong in the Dragon March, all of them ordered by Admiral Mitokado. A psychological analysis of Mitokado that reveals his style and shows it in the movements of the Kumo. And emails from Mitokado to other officers in the Dragon March convincing them to turn traitor like he has."

Tsunade froze. "This… this is very bad. Terrible, in fact. But first off, how did you get your hands on this information?"

Naruto held up his hands. "Ask me no questions, Admiral, and I will tell you no lies. What matters is we got it, and it paints a damning picture."

Tsunade eyed Karin speculatively. "There's not even been a ping on the security around the Mars servers. You must be very good at what you do, young lady."

Karin gave a secret smile, knowing that she was actually older than Tsunade.

Tsunade sighed. "Say I believe you. What do you expect me to do?"

"You have Ultra-level clearance," Naruto explained. "You could authorize a mission for us to carry this information to the Fleet Admiral. Then we can find a way to get the jump on Mitokado and his co-conspirators that doesn't involve just blowing their ships to hell."

Tsunade snorted. "That will certainly be Shimura's suggestion. Alright, I can get you into the Dragon March. But you have to be careful. Who knows how many spies Mitokado has that you didn't manage to dig up? And I can't guarantee you won't get caught up in a conflict with the Kumo."

Naruto shared a grin with the rest of the crew. "We're not worried," he said confidently. "Our ship's pretty badass."

Tsunade shared his grin. "So I hear," she said. "Now, only the Admiralty are able to enter the Dragon March at the moment. So effective immediately, I promote you to Rear Admiral. You've more than earned it. I'll get the orders and paperwork processed by noon, so you should have no trouble when you arrive at the Dragon March."

Naruto gaped. "... Thank you, Tsunade," he said simply.

They parted ways soon after that, Naruto and the Pack retracing their steps out of the High Command part of Olympus and back to Docking Bay 13. They went in the airlock of the Invictus and took a trip up to the Bridge. "Take us to the Dragon March," Naruto commanded Fu, Admiral Senju having sent them the estimated location of the fleet.

"We'll be there in 12 hours," Hinata stated with confidence.

The Nymph pulled them out of the Docking Bay, and glided out at port speed towards the Nav Beacon. Unbeknownst to the cheerful Bridge crew, when Fu reversed out of the drydock, a small invisible shuttle slipped off the upper levels of the shipyard, and drifted down to attach itself to the Invictus. The stealthy ship locked into position on the Assault Cruiser's docking collar, securely attaching itself before the Invictus roared away into the blackness of space. Inside the onyx-colored vessel, a sarcophagus cracked open with a foreboding hiss, icy vapour swirling around the plinth as a dark figure stirred within.


End file.
